No political figure has got so much controversy, ambiguity, sympathy and respect as the Professor Abdulaziz AbdulGhani. The prominent and famous politician, who held many positions, and was one of the pillars of the country in Yemen over the past five decades.
Abdulghani, the political figure who lived with three presidents in Yemen whose fate was ended in murder, had a rich biography that lasted for half a century. He is a Yemeni politician, who was born in Haifan District, Taiz Governorate, in July 4th, 1939, and his death was announced on Monday, August 22nd, 2011, in a hospital in Riyadh - Saudi Arabia, as a result of his injuries resulted from the bombing of Al-Nahdeen Mosque in the Presidential Palace in Sana'a - Yemen.
Abdulghani was one of the eminent Government figures in Yemen. He was always admirable for his vast practical and scientific capabilities that enabled him to hold high positions as a Prime Minister, Chairman of the Shura Council, Member of the Presidency Council, and Governor of the Central Bank of Yemen.
Abdel-Aziz Abdulghani was known to like walking a lot. He was a person who did not know anger because of his calm nerves in view of the positions he had obtained and the heated political stages and raging conflicts that he experienced.
In an interview in the nineties of the last century, Abdulghani said that his first position in the Ministry of Economy was exceptional for him. Because it came after the events of August 1968s, where he felt - as he narrated - with awe at his first position as a Minister of Economy.
It was also narrated that when the former President Ibrahim Al-Hamdi summoned him to nominate him as the Prime Minister, he hesitated a lot and tried to apologize. He justified that he was not ready for such a position and was not suitable for him. But the President Al-Hamdi, in order to convince him, he gave him an example of himself when he accepted to be a President for the country, pointing out that the positions which they are assigned for are mere to serve the people's and build the state in accordance to an economic program based on a comprehensive vision that focuses on the development of promising sectors such as the Agricultural Sector and Cooperatives which considered as the basis of the Economic Development in Yemen.
The most Prominent Technocrats Figure in Yemen, as he described himself, "a technocrat that the country needs regardless of who will rules it". The technocrat is a pragmatic figure who integrates into the Political Programs and the Government Regime without any regional or partisan considerations, same as many officials dealt with when they held high positions in the state during such period.
Abdulghani got his Bachelor’s and doctorate in the1964s, from Colorado University in the United States of America. After he came back to Yemen in the same year, he worked as a teacher in Belqis College until 1967. After that he had got his first position in the government which was formed after the Yemeni Revolution, as a Minister of Health from November 1967 to January 1968. Then he stepped up the ladder of many positions in various state institutions, namely:
Manager of The Yemeni Bank for Reconstruction and Development 1968.
Minister of Economy, September 1968 to April 1969.
Minister of Economy, April 1971 to August 1971.
Chairman of the Yemen Petroleum Company 1971.
Governor of the Central Bank of Yemen, August 1971 to January 1975.
Lecturer in Political Economy, University of Sana'a, 1972-1974.
Prime Minister, Arab Republic of Yemen, 1975-1978.
Member of the Advisory Board, 1978.
Member of the Leadership Council 1975-1978.
Vice President of Arab Republic of Yemen, 1980-1983.
Member of the General Committee of the General People's Congress, 1982.
Chairman of the Supreme Council for the Reconstruction of Areas Affected by1983 Earthquake.
Prime Minister, Arab Republic of Yemen, 1983-1990.
Member of the Presidency Council, 1990-1994.
Assistant Secretary-General of the General People's Congress, 1990-1995.
Member of the World Bank's Board of Advisors, 1993-1997.
Prime Minister, the Republic of Yemen, 1994 to 1997.
Chairman of the Yemeni Consultative Council, 1997 to 2001.
Chairman of the Yemeni Shura Council, 2001 to 8/22/2011 until his death.
