Ashraf Ghani facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ashraf Ghani
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اشرف غني
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Ghani in 2018
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| 8th President of Afghanistan | |
| In office 29 September 2014 – 15 August 2021 |
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| Vice President | First VP:
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| Chief Executive | Abdullah Abdullah (2014–2020) |
| Preceded by | Hamid Karzai |
| Succeeded by | Hibatullah Akhundzada (as Supreme Leader) |
| Chancellor of Kabul University | |
| In office 22 December 2004 – 21 December 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Habibullah Habib |
| Succeeded by | Hamidullah Amin |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 2 June 2002 – 14 December 2004 |
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| President | Hamid Karzai |
| Preceded by | Hedayat Amin Arsala |
| Succeeded by | Anwar ul-Haq Ahady |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 May 1949 Logar, Kingdom of Afghanistan |
| Citizenship | Afghanistan United States (until 2009) |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse |
Bibi Gul
(m. 1975) |
| Children | 2, including Mariam Ghani |
| Relatives | Hashmat Ghani Ahmadzai (brother) |
| Education | American University of Beirut (BA) Columbia University (MA, PhD) |
Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai (born 19 May 1949) is an Afghan former politician and economist. He was the president of Afghanistan from September 2014 until August 2021. His government was taken over by the Taliban in 2021.
Ghani was born in Logar, Afghanistan. He studied in Lebanon and the United States. He earned a PhD in cultural anthropology from Columbia University in 1983. After that, he taught at different universities, including Johns Hopkins University. For many years in the 1990s, he worked at the World Bank.
In December 2001, he went back to Afghanistan after the Taliban government fell. He then became the finance minister in Hamid Karzai's government. He later became the dean of Kabul University. In 2009, Ghani ran for president but did not win.
In 2014, Ghani became president after a disputed election. The United States helped Ghani and his rival, Abdullah Abdullah, reach an agreement. Ghani became president, and Abdullah became chief executive, sharing power. Ghani was re-elected in 2020. As president, he wanted to make Afghanistan a modern country. He tried to make peace with the Taliban and improve relations with Pakistan. However, some of his promises, like fighting corruption, were not fully met.
On 15 August 2021, his time as president ended suddenly when the Taliban took over Kabul. Ghani and his staff left Afghanistan and went to the United Arab Emirates. He said he left to prevent more violence.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Ashraf Ghani was born on 19 May 1949 in Logar Province in Afghanistan. His family belongs to the Ahmadzai Pashtun tribe.
Where Did Ghani Study?
Ghani went to school in Afghanistan for most of his early education. He also studied for a year in Lake Oswego, Oregon, in the United States as an exchange student.
In 1973, he earned a degree in political studies from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. There, he met his future wife, Rula. He also taught at Kabul University and Aarhus University in Denmark.
In 1977, he received a Master's degree in cultural anthropology from Columbia University. He continued his studies there and earned a PhD in cultural anthropology in 1983. He stayed in the U.S. because many of his family members were imprisoned in Afghanistan.
Career Before Becoming President
What Was Ghani's Academic Career Like?
After getting his PhD in 1983, Ghani taught at the University of California, Berkeley and then at Johns Hopkins University. His research focused on how countries are built and how societies change.
What Did Ghani Do at the World Bank?
In 1991, Ghani started working at the World Bank as a lead anthropologist. He worked on projects in countries like China, India, and Russia. Later, he focused on social policy and helping countries with their reform programs.
When Did Ghani Return to Afghanistan?
Ghani returned to Afghanistan in December 2001, after 24 years away. He became an important person in the new Afghan government after the Taliban were removed. He also worked with the United Nations to help set up the new government. He advised interim president Hamid Karzai and helped prepare for the meetings that elected Karzai.
What Was Ghani's Role as Finance Minister?
From 2002 to 2004, Ghani served as the finance minister for Afghanistan. He made many important changes to the country's money system. He introduced a new currency, used computers for treasury operations, and worked to make government spending more transparent. He also helped with the National Solidarity Program, which supported many villages across the country.
What Did Ghani Do at Kabul University?
After the 2004 election, Ghani chose to become the Chancellor of Kabul University. From 2004 to 2008, he focused on rebuilding the university. He worked to improve its resources after years of conflict.
In 2005, he helped start the Institute for State Effectiveness. This group focused on how governments work and how to make them more open. He also wrote a book called Fixing Failed States with Clare Lockhart.
Did Ghani Run for President Before?
Yes, in 2009, Ashraf Ghani ran for president in Afghanistan. He focused on having a fair government, a strong economy, and creating jobs. He asked Afghans living abroad to support his campaign. He finished fourth in the election, getting about 3% of the votes.
What Was the Transition Coordination Commission?
From 2010 to 2013, Ghani led the Afghan Transition Coordination Commission (TCC). This group was in charge of transferring control from international troops (ISAF/NATO) to Afghan security forces. He traveled all over Afghanistan during this time. He resigned from this role in 2013 to run for president again.
Presidency (2014–2021)
When Ghani ran for president in 2014, he chose General Abdul Rashid Dostum and Sarwar Danish as his vice presidential candidates.
No candidate won more than half the votes in the first round. So, Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah went to a second round of voting in June 2014.
Early results showed Ghani winning, but there were claims of election fraud. This led to a big disagreement. The U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, helped Ghani and Abdullah reach a deal. They agreed to check nearly 8 million votes and form a national unity government. Ghani became president, and Abdullah became chief executive.
In September 2020, Ghani signed a law that allowed mothers' names to be added to children's ID cards. This was a win for women's rights activists in Afghanistan.
Ghani was 65 when he became president, making him the oldest Afghan ruler since 1747.
How Did Ghani Improve Afghanistan's Economy?
During his time as president, Ghani worked to strengthen trade with countries in Central Asia, like Uzbekistan. New trade routes were opened in the region. The Chabahar Port in Iran helped Afghanistan trade more with India, avoiding Pakistani territory.
Railways were also built, connecting Afghanistan to Iran and Turkmenistan. These projects aimed to make Afghanistan a trade hub. In 2018, Ghani said he wanted Afghanistan to become a steel exporter.
However, a 2015 survey showed that Ghani's popularity had dropped, with only 27.5% of people satisfied with his leadership.
What Were Ghani's Relations with Pakistan and India?
Ghani wanted to improve relations with Pakistan to help with peace talks with the Taliban. He visited Pakistan in 2014. However, after several terror attacks in Afghanistan, which were blamed on Pakistan, Ghani became less friendly towards Pakistan. He accused Pakistan of an "undeclared war of aggression" against Afghanistan.
Ghani also wanted to improve ties with South Asia to boost the region's economy. He had a strong relationship with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.
What Was Ghani's Relationship with the Taliban?
Ghani said that the Taliban were Afghans and that he was president of all Afghans. He offered Afghan passports to the Taliban and said he would recognize them as a political group to try and make a peace deal.
In March 2021, Ghani said he wanted to convince the Taliban to hold new elections and form a new government through a democratic process.
On 2 August 2021, Ghani blamed the sudden withdrawal of U.S. troops for the Taliban's advance. He said the Taliban had not cut ties with terrorist groups. On 11 August 2021, Ghani asked local leaders and militias to fight the Taliban.
Why Did Ghani Leave Afghanistan?
The Taliban took control of Afghanistan on 15 August 2021, and Ghani was no longer president. That day, Ghani left Afghanistan with his wife and two close aides. The Taliban captured the presidential palace a few hours later.
Ghani wrote on his Facebook page that he left to avoid bloodshed. He asked the Taliban to protect civilians. On 18 August 2021, the United Arab Emirates confirmed that Ghani and his family were there for "humanitarian reasons."
Some people criticized Ghani for leaving the country. The Russian embassy in Kabul claimed that Ghani fled with a lot of cash. However, Ghani denied these accusations, and a later report found it was "unlikely to be true" due to the amount of money and the difficulty of transporting it.
On 8 September 2021, Ghani released a video apologizing to the Afghan people. He repeated that he left to avoid "bloody street fighting" and to save Kabul. He also strongly denied stealing money.
In May 2022, a report described Ghani as a "paranoid president" who was "afraid of his own countrymen." It said that his decisions sometimes hurt the morale of the Afghan army.
Political Views
Ghani is a progressive thinker who wanted to change Afghanistan from a tribal society to a modern, technocratic state. He admired King Amanullah Khan and General Mohammad Daoud Khan, who were both progressive leaders in Afghanistan's history.
Personal Life
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Ashraf Ghani is married to Rula Saade. They met while studying in Lebanon in the 1970s. They lived in the United States and became U.S. citizens. However, Ghani gave up his U.S. citizenship in 2009 so he could run in Afghan elections.
Ashraf and Rula Ghani have two children: a daughter, Mariam, who is an artist, and a son, Tarek. Both were born in the United States and have U.S. citizenship. At his inauguration in 2014, Ghani publicly thanked his wife, which was unusual for an Afghan politician.
Ghani lost most of his stomach due to cancer in the 1990s. He is known for waking up early to read for several hours.
His older brother is Hashmat Ghani Ahmadzai, an Afghan politician. Unlike Ashraf, Hashmat Ghani did not leave Afghanistan when the Taliban took over.
Images for kids
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Ghani meeting with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani in Saadabad Palace
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Ghani with U.S. President Donald Trump in October 2017
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Ghani with US defense secretary Mark Esper at the Dilkusha Mansion Garden of the Arg in Kabul
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See also
In Spanish: Ashraf Ghani para niños
