Dining with an AUCian - Featuring Professor Sahar Nasr "85 '90

Professor Sahar Nasr '85 '90

Associate Professor at the Department of Economics at the American University in Cairo (AUC)

Dr. Sahar Nasr is an Associate Professor at the Department of Economics at the American University in Cairo (AUC), where she has been teaching for 30 years, and a lecturer at several other esteemed universities, including Cambridge, Oxford, and UC Berkley.

Dr. Nasr was sworn in as Minister of International Cooperation in 2015; and as Minister of Investment and International Cooperation of Egypt in 2017, as well as the Governor of Egypt to numerous international financial institutions (IFIs), after playing a pivotal role in 2014 as a member of the Presidential Council for Economic Development, setting the grounds for an ambitious and comprehensive economic and social reform program. In parallel, Dr. Nasr was appointed as the Coordinator of the Ministerial Economic Committee, where she played a key role in drafting and implementing Egypt’s economic reform program; and the National Coordinator and Chair of the Ministerial Committee charged with following-up on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the UN.  During her five years in office, Nasr succeeded in bolstering Egypt’s relations with development partners and international institutions, raising funds amounting to over US$ 50 billion to support sustainable development efforts.  In addition, she spearheaded an ambitious agenda comprising sweeping reforms to create a conducive and competitive business environment and enhance the private sector’s role in the economy, and promoting foreign direct investments, as well as, modernizing non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs), deepening the financial system, with the ultimate objective of boosting economic growth, and achieving strong gains for the Egyptian economy, as reflected in several key international rankings.

Prior to her role in the Cabinet, Nasr spent 20 years at the World Bank where she led major operations in developing countries, overseeing a portfolio of US$ 40 billion, focusing on economic and financial and private sector development, financial inclusion, governance, and female economic empowerment.  

Nasr earned her PhD in Economics from Cairo University. She was named the second most powerful Arab woman in government by Forbes Magazine in 2017; one of the 100 Most Influential Figures in Africa by the New African Magazine; and was the first Egyptian and African woman to join the High-Level Advisory Board of the UN Social Impact Fund.