About Saudi Arabia

Ministries

Council of Ministers: Membership

The Council of Ministers was established by King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al-Saud in 1953. It consists of the King who is the Prime Minister, the Crown Prince who is Deputy Prime Minister, and Cabinet ministers. Under the bylaws announced by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud in September 1993, the Council is responsible for drafting and overseeing the implementation of the internal, external, financial, economic, educational and defense policies, and general affairs of the state. The Council meets weekly and is presided over by the King or one of his deputies.

On April 30, 2003, King Fahd issued Royal Decrees renaming a number of ministries, and dissolving two of them, effective May 3, 2003, to give a cabinet of 21 ministers with portfolio and 5 ministers of state in addition to himself as Prime Minister and Crown Prince Abdullah as Deputy Prime Minister. On December 23, 2003 he decreed a sixth minister of state with special responsibilities for the affairs of the Consultative Council (Majlis Al-Shura). On March 22, 2004, the Ministry of Labor and Social Services was divided into two, so that there are now 22 ministers with portfolio.On July 24, 2005, a new minister of state was appointed, with special responsibilities for foreign affairs. On March 25, 2011, King Abdullah issued a Royal Decree establishing the Ministry of Housing. There are now 23 ministries and 7 ministers of state, two of them with portfolio.

Previous changes are:

On May 7, 2016, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources was renamed Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources; the Ministry of Commerce and Industry was renamed the Ministry of Commerce and Investment; the Ministry of Hajj was renamed Ministry of Hajj and Umrah; The Ministry of Water and Electricity was dissolved and a new Ministry of Water, Environment and Agriculture formed; the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowment, Call and Guidance was renamed Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance; and the Ministries of Labor and Social Affairs were integrated into the Ministry of Labor and Social Development.

On July 16, 2001, the Council of Ministers resolved to divide the Ministry of Agriculture and Water, and create a 23rd ministry; the new Minister was named on September 16, 2002, and the Ministry of Water came into effect on that date.On June 16, 1999, royal decrees made changes in the cabinet, and created a 22nd ministry, the Ministry of Civil Service. On August 2, 1995, King Fahd issued a Royal Decree dissolving the Council of Ministers and announcing the names of Ministers in the new Cabinet under his chairmanship.

Members of the Council of Ministers:

Prime Minister

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,
King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud
King Salman assumed the leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 3 Rabi’ al Thani 1436H (January 23, 2015), on the death of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz. He was Crown Prince to King Abdullah from June 18, 2012 to January 23, 2015.

King Salman was born in Riyadh in 1935 and received formal education at the Princes's School. He served as Acting Mayor of Riyadh, 1954; Mayor of Riyadh 1955-60; Governor of Riyadh Province, 1963-2011. In 2011, King Abdullah appointed him Minister of Defense in 2011 and Crown Prince in 2012.

Extended Biography

Ministers with Portfolio

Deputy Prime Minister

Minister of Defense: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud
Born: August 31, 1985
Education: BA in law, King Saud University
Positions Held: Secretary General of the Riyadh Competitiveness Center; special adviser to the chairman of King Abdulaziz Foundation; adviser at the Experts’ Commission of the Council of Ministers; special advisor to the governor of Riyadh Province; President of the Crown Prince’s Court and Special Advisor to the Crown Prince, since 2013; Minister of State and member of the Cabinet, 2014-2015. Chief of Royal Protocol, January 23-April 29, 2015; Deputy Crown Prince and Second Deputy Prime Minister on April 29, 2015-June 21, 2017; Deputy Crown Prince and Second Deputy Prime Minister, April 29, 2015-June 21, 2017. King Salman appointed him Minister of Defense on January 23, 2015 and named him Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister on June 21, 2017.

Minister of the National Guard

Prince Miteb bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud
Born: March 26, 1952 in Riyadh
Education: Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, United Kingdom, 1974; M.A. Military Science, Command and Staff College, Riyadh.
Positions Held: Member of the faculty of the National Guards military schools; chaired the committee charged with developing the curricula of the newly formed King Khalid Military College, 1982; appointed Commandant of the King Khalid Military College, 1983; Deputy Head National Guard military unit,1990-2000; Deputy Assistant Chief of National Guard for Military Affairs, 2000-2010; Deputy Chief of National Guard for Executive Affairs, June 11, 2010- October 20, 2010; Appointed Minister of State and member of the Council of Ministers and head of the National Guard, October 20, 2010. Minister of the National Guard since May 27, 2013.

Minister of Interior

Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud
Born:
Education:
Positions Held: Named Minister of Interior on June 21, 2017.

Minister of Education

Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Ahmed Al-Isa
Born: December 19, 1960 in Al-Ghat
Education: PhD in Education (curriculum and instruction), Pennsylvania State University, 1993; MA in Education (curriculum and instruction), Pennsylvania State University, 1989; BA in History, King Saud University, 1983.
Positions Held: Advisor and member of the board of directors, Misk Foundation, since 2012; Director General of the Strategic Studies Department, Royal Court, 2011-2012; Director of Al-Yamamah University, 2008-2009; Dean, Al-Yamamah College, 2003-2008; Adviser, Al-Yamamah College Project, 2002-2003; Dean, Riyadh College of Technology, 1988-2001; Deputy Dean, Riyadh College of Technology, 1997-1998; Supervisor of the Curriculum Development Unit, Department of Technical Colleges Affairs, 1996-1997; Deputy Dean for Educational Affairs, Riyadh College of Technology, 1990. Named Minister of Education on December 11, 2015.

Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs

Abdullatif bin Abdulmalik bin Omar Al-AsShaikh
Born:
Education:
Positions Held: Named Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs on January 29, 2015.

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir
Born: February 1, 1962 in Majma'ah
Education: BA summa cum laude in political science and economics, University of North Texas, 1982; MA in international relations, Georgetown University, 1984; Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from the University of North Texas, 2006.
Positions Held: Joined the foreign service in 1987. Served at the Saudi embassy in Washington, DC, 1987-2000; Foreign Affairs Advisor in the Crown Prince’s Court, 2000-2005; Advisor at the Royal Court, 2005-2007; ambassador to the United States, January 29, 2007-April 29, 2015. Named Minister of Foreign Affairs on April 29, 2015.

Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture

Born:
Education:
Positions Held:

Minister of Civil Service

Born:
Education:
Positions Held:

Minister of Finance

Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan
Born: 1963
Education: Diploma in Legal Studies, Institute of Public Administration, Riyadh, 1998; BA in Islamic Sharia with a concentration on Islamic economics, Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University, Riyadh 1986.
Positions Held: Head of Family and Community Medicine Department, Armed Forces Hospital, Riyadh, 1984-1994; co-founder and managing partner of Al-Jadaan & Partners Law Firm, 1996-2015; chairman, Capital Market Authority (rank of minister), 2015-2016; Named Minister of Finance November 1, 2016.

Minister of Health

Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah
Born:
Education: PhD in Computer Science, University of Pittsburgh; MS in Computer Science and MS in Information Science, King Saudi University; BA in Financial Management and Mathematics, King Saud University.
Positions Held: Assistant Professor at King Saud University, 1999-2002; Director General Saudi Industrial Property Authority (MODON) since 2007; Acting Deputy Minister, Ministry of Commerce & Industry (2010-2012; Supervisor for the National Industrial Strategy (2010-2012); Director General of the Information and Communications Technology sector at the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA); Faculty member at King Saud University; teaching fellow at the University of Pittsburgh; Minister of Commerce and Industry (2003-2016). Named Minister of Health May 7, 2016.

Minister of Commerce and Investment

Dr. Majed bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi
Born:
Education: PhD in ‎engineering management, University of ‎Missouri, 1985; MA in engineering management, University of ‎Missouri, 1983; MA in civil ‎engineering, University of California, Berkeley, ‎‎1982; BA in civil engineering, University of Portland, Oregon, 1981.
Positions Held: Assistant professor of industrial engineering, King Abdulaziz University, 1987-1998; Secretary General, Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry, 1998-2002; director-general of the Sultan bin Abdulaziz ‎Al-Saud Foundation, 2002-2013; Adviser at the Crown Princes’ Court, 2010-2011; President of the Special Affairs for the Crown Prince, 2011-‎‎2014; Advisor at the Crown Prince’s Court, 2010-2014; Chief of Private Affairs for the Crown Prince, 2014-2015; president, Jeddah ‎Economic Forum. Served as member of the boards of the Council of Prince Salman ‎Center for Disability Research Management, Association Majed bin Abdulaziz for ‎Development and Social Service, ‎Saudi Society for Alzheimer's Disease, Saudi Society to Preserve the Heritage, Council of the Saudi Ports Authority Management, High Commission for the Development of ‎Hail, the Centennial ‎Fund, and ‎Supreme Economic Council; Minister of Social Affairs (2015-2016). Named Minister of Commerce and Investment on May 7, 2016.

Minister of Culture and Information

Dr. Awwad Al-Awwad
Born:
Education:
Positions Held: Named Minister of Culture and Information on April 22, 2017.

Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance

Sheikh Saleh Bin Abdulaziz Al-AsShaikh
Born:
Education:
Positions Held: Named Minister of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance on January 29, 2015.

Minister of Justice

Dr. Walid bin Mohammad bin Saleh Al-Samaani
Born:
Education:
Positions Held: Named Minister of Justice on January 29, 2015.

Minister of Labor and Social Development

Dr. Mufrej bin Saad Al-Haqbani
Born:
Education:
Positions Held: Minister of Labor (2015-2016), Named Minister of Labor and Social Development on May 7, 2016.

Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources

Khaled bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih
Born:
Education: BS in mechanical engineering, Texas A&M University, 1982; MBA, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), 1991.
Positions Held: President and chief executive officer of the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco), January 1, 2009-April 29, 2015, Executive Vice President of Operations, 2007-2008; Minister of Health (2015-2016). Names Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources on May 7, 2016.

Minister of Hajj and Umrah

Muhammad Bantan
Born:
Education:
Positions Held: Names Minister of Hajj and Umrah on May 7, 2016

Minister of National Economy and Planning

Adel bin Mohammed Fakeih
Born: 1379 H (1959), in Makkah
Education: BA in Industrial Engineering
Positions Held: Minister of Labor, August 18, 2010.-April 29, 2015; Mayor of Jeddah Municipality, 2005-2010; Chairman of The Savola Group; Chief of Development of Services and Facilities at the Council of Makkah Region; Member of the Municipal Council of Jeddah Municipality; Member of the Supreme Body for Developing Makkah Region; President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jeddah; Chairman of Al-Jazirah Bank; Member of the Supreme Commission for Tourism; Member of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu; Minister of National Economy and Planning since April 29, 2015.

Minister of Communications and Information Technology

Abdullah bin Amer Al-Sawaha
Born:
Education:
Positions Held: Named Minister of Communications and Information Technology on April 22, 2017.

Minister of Transport

Solayman Al-Hamdan
Born:
Education:
Positions Held: Named Minister of Transport on May 7, 2016

Minister of Housing

Majed bin Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Hogail
Born:
Education: MBA, University of Illinois; BA in accounting, King Saud University.
Positions Held: Deputy Finance Director, Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) (1990-1998). Named Minister of Housing on July 13, 2015.

Ministers of State

  • HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
  • HRH Prince Abdulaziz in Salman bin Abdulaziz (for Energy Affairs)
  • Dr. Muttlab bin Abdullah Al-Nafissa
  • Mr. Mohammed bin Faisal bin Jaber Abusaq (for Shura Affairs)
  • Dr. Nizar Obeid Madani (for Foreign Affairs)
  • Mr. Mohammed bin Abdul Malik bin Abdullah Al-AshSheikh