Background
Was born on March 31, 1937, at Palikao, a village north of Tlemcen in western Algeria
Was born on March 31, 1937, at Palikao, a village north of Tlemcen in western Algeria
Educated at Tlemcen.
Dynamic head of the huge economic empire comprising Algeria’s multimillion dollar oil and gas industry. Engineer and economist, he was switched from cabinet office to direct the new-found wealth from the desert to the maximum benefit of the country.
His success as a technocrat is comparable to that of oil tycoons in the capitalist world and is becoming one of the major factors for the realisation of the agrarian revolution. Although not a man who likes being in the public eye and not a person easily persuaded to set out his economic philosophies, he is a forceful character whom the President may require to bring back into government one day.
On his return to Algeria in July 1962 he went straight into the Ministry of Industry and Energy as Director of Carbonate Energy. He made his mark quickly and was promoted in January 1964 to be Technical Adviser to the Minister. In December 1964 Ben Bella brought him into the cabinet at the age of 27 as Minister of Public Works. Six months later he was out of office because of the cabinet reshuffle by President Boumedienne following the coup on June 19, 1965. He was earmarked for SONATRACH but he did not take up the appointment until April 1966.
Through nationalisation of foreign interests and the intensification of exploration and exploitation SONATRACH under Ghozali has boosted its share of Algerian oil production from 11.5% in 1966 to 77% in 1972. His thrustful style has given SONATRACH its head in commercialising the country’s potential in the gas decade of the 70s.
A man with more power at his fingertips than many men in the government.
He is eldest son of a headmaster who became a schools inspector.