Mohammad Mustafa (economist)

Mohammad Mustafa (محمد عبد الله محمد مصطفى; born August 26, 1954) is a Palestinian economist and politician who is the current prime minister of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian National Authority. He previously served as the Chairman of the Board of the Palestine Investment Fund (PIF), Senior Economic Advisor to President Mahmoud Abbas and an Independent member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Previously, he had served as Deputy Prime Minister of Palestine (15th and 16th governments; 2013–2014) and as Minister of National Economy of Palestine (16th government, 2014).

Mustafa has international experience with government, global institutions, and academia, from spending around 15 years at the World Bank Group in Washington, D.C. Mustafa spent two years as economic advisor to the Government of Kuwait on economic reform and two years as advisor to the Public Investment Fund in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Mustafa also taught as a visiting professor at his alma mater, George Washington University.

Early life and education
Mustafa was born on 26 August 1954 in Kafr Sur, District of Tulkarm, Jordanian West Bank. As a child, his family was uprooted from their home in the West Bank by Jordan and took refuge in Kuwait. Mustafa went on to earn a bachelor's degree from Baghdad University in electrical engineering, and a master's degree and Ph.D. from George Washington University.

Career
Mustafa served as the Chairman of the Palestine Investment Fund. Between 2006 and 2013, Mustafa was also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the PIF. Under his leadership, the PIF has become the premier investor in Palestine, having completed c. 60 investments, incentivized $1.2 billion in foreign investment, which has provided Palestinians with c. 75,000 jobs. As CEO of the PIF, Mustafa led the establishment of several leading Palestinian companies including Wataniya Mobile, Amaar Real Estate Investment Company, Al Reehan Real Estate Investment Company, Palestine Power Generation Company, Khazanah Asset Management Company, and Sharakat Fund for Small businesses.

As Deputy Prime Minister, amongst other responsibilities, Mustafa was appointed head of Reconstruction of Gaza following the 2014 Gaza War. Prior to joining the PIF, Mustafa worked with leading international organizations across global markets. During his time with the World Bank Group, Mustafa held several senior positions across sectors including economic development and reform, project finance, private sector development, telecommunications privatization, and infrastructure development. During his tenure at the World Bank, Mustafa took a sabbatical to work as the founding chief executive officer of PalTel.

In April 2016, Mustafa, was named in the Panama Papers, where it was claimed he used Mossack Fonseca to ensure the transfer of money from Arab countries to the Palestinian Authority.

Prime Minister of Palestine
On 14 March 2024, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas appointed Mohammad Mustafa as Prime Minister. His appointment was criticized by other Palestinian political factions such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Palestinian National Initiative, who accused Fatah of "forming a new government without national consensus" and describing it as "a reinforcement of a policy of exclusion and the deepening of division".

Personal life
Mustafa is married and has two children.