Kemal Abdallah KHODJA

June 27, 1933

Constantine, Algeria

Economic whizkid thrust into high office to take charge of the country’s massive industrialisation programme. The Planning portfolio was created for him at the age of 27 so that he could sort out the confusion over the first four-year plan expiring in 1973. Under improvements projected for the second four-year plan for 1974-1978 he has forecast full employment and a school place for every child by 1980. He is shrewd enough, too, to realise that his political future depends upon his ability to deliver the goods—in jobs, standard of living, and a new boost for the agrarian revolution. After graduation he stayed in Morocco and joined the Government Department for Planning. Next he moved to the National Bank, working in its department for economic planning. As a committed Algerian nationalist he was a natural choice to undertake economic missions for the National Liberation Front (FLN). At independence in 1962 he was summoned back to Algiers by the provisional government to play a leading role in preparing for the country’s economic development. His first assignment was chef of cabinet to the economic affairs delegate in the provisional government. Within a year he was promoted Deputy General Director of Planning under Ismail Mahroug who later became Finance Minister. In 1964 he was transferred to the Ministry of National Planning as Secretary-General. After the Boumedienne revolution in June 1965 he became Director-General of Planning and Economc Studies. His dynamic approach to development problems helped quicken the pace of nationalisation so that full use could be made of natural resources to the country’s own advantage. From the moment he began tackling drafts for the second four-year plan he realised the pressure of rising expectations among people who wanted to see results in jobs, wage levels and goods in the shops. Because of the importance of that objective to Boumedienne all ministries were instructed to give him maximum co-operation.

Kemal Abdallah KHODJA

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politician

Education

Educated locally, then went to Morocco, where he proved his academic brilliance at Rabat, first in the faculty of law then in economic science (banking, economics and planning).

Career

Economic whizkid thrust into high office to take charge of the country’s massive industrialisation programme. The Planning portfolio was created for him at the age of 27 so that he could sort out the confusion over the first four-year plan expiring in 1973.

Under improvements projected for the second four-year plan for 1974-1978 he has forecast full employment and a school place for every child by 1980. He is shrewd enough, too, to realise that his political future depends upon his ability to deliver the goods—in jobs, standard of living, and a new boost for the agrarian revolution.

After graduation he stayed in Morocco and joined the Government Department for Planning. Next he moved to the National Bank, working in its department for economic planning. As a committed Algerian nationalist he was a natural choice to undertake economic missions for the National Liberation Front (FLN).

At independence in 1962 he was summoned back to Algiers by the provisional government to play a leading role in preparing for the country’s economic development. His first assignment was chef of cabinet to the economic affairs delegate in the provisional government. Within a year he was promoted Deputy General Director of Planning under Ismail Mahroug who later became Finance Minister. In 1964 he was transferred to the Ministry of National Planning as Secretary-General. After the Boumedienne revolution in June 1965 he became Director-General of Planning and Economc Studies.

His dynamic approach to development problems helped quicken the pace of nationalisation so that full use could be made of natural resources to the country’s own advantage. From the moment he began tackling drafts for the second four-year plan he realised the pressure of rising expectations among people who wanted to see results in jobs, wage levels and goods in the shops. Because of the importance of that objective to Boumedienne all ministries were instructed to give him maximum co-operation.

Views

One of his important priorities was to plan ways in which the wealth found in oil and natural gas in the sand of the Sahara could have an emphatic impact upon the lives of people in villages as well as the big towns.

Quotations: “massive creation of permanent jobs in such a way as to eliminate unemployment for ever”.

Personality

Bespectacled, clean-shaven, academic-looking member of the government

Main Photo