Afghan Biographies

Nehan, Nargis Mrs


Name Nehan, Nargis Mrs
Ethnic backgr. Hazara
Date of birth 1981
Function/Grade Ex Minister
History and Biodata

2. Previous Function Mrs. Nargis Nehan:
Director General of the Treasury Department at the Ministry of Finance (20120609)
Vice Chancellor of Kabul University at the Administration and Finance Department 

Senior Administration and Finance Advisor to the Minister of Education

Senior Planning and Coordination Advisor to the Ministry of Higher Education
Founder and Executive Director of EQUALITY for Peace and Democracy (EPD) (2010, 20140303)
volunteered as a short-term advisor to the Minister of Interior to assist the Ministry with the establishment of the Afghan Public Projection Force (APPF) as a state-owned enterprise
appointed as Minister of mines and petroleum (20170328)
Minister of Mines ( 20170327, 20171204 rejected and acting 20180103) resigned (20191025)
 

3. Biodata:
Mrs. Nargis Nehan Narges Nihan was born 1981 in Afghanistan and holds a master’s degree in Business Management and has received international training in the areas of leadership, result-based budgeting, gender budgeting, strategic planning, good governance, peace building and conflict resolution. She is a breast cancer survivor.(20190603)

She came from a middle class family that had to leave the country during war, struggled as refugees. Nehan spoke of escaping the war as a child and starting a new life as a refugee in Pakistan. When she realised that her family could not afford to pay for her education, she started working with local NGOs for Afghan refugees to put herself and her siblings through school, ultimately earning a master's degree in business administration. She was working for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)when she got a chance to return to Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban. NRC sent her to Kabul to help them set up their office. Later she decided to stay and work with the new government's Assistance Co-ordination Authority.


In 2007 she co authored a book with Ashraff Ghani Ahmadzai: The budget as a linchpin of the state: Lessons from Afghanistan.

Nehan is a member of the Civil Society Joint Working Group (CS-JWG), the Afghan Coalition for Transparency and Accountability (ACTA), and the Supreme Council of the Central Bank of Afghanistan. She was the first female Member of Afghanistan Central Bank's Leadership.

President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai has ordered the appointment of Nargis Nehan as the Minister of mines and petroleum.(20170328) The Afghan lawmakers however did not cast confidence votes in favor of Nargis Nehan who was rejected as the minister of mines and petroleum after receiving 107 votes. Nargis Nihan, the nominee for the Ministry of Mines, was been rejected by MPs after not receiving enough votes. She received 107 confidence votes, 93 no-votes, and 15 abstentions were recorded. Nihan needed 113 confidence votes to secure the ministry of mines and petroleum. (20171204)

Asked if she was concerned that the Taliban would not approve of her holding a powerful position, she said:  “It’s OK if they don’t approve of me; I also don’t approve of them. In fact, I reject them.”(20190603)

President Ashraf Ghani has accepted the resignation letter of acting Mining and Patrolmen Minister Nargis Nehan.(20191025)

18 former and current officials at the ministry of mines and petroleum charged with ‘illegal jobs’ were referred to the attorney general office.

Narges Nehan, former acting minister was among the charged people, according to a source, who called corruption, misuse of authorities and deceiving the high economic council as the charges.(20200827)

Nargis Nehan spoke about another scenario when she along with 45 other high ranking female government officials including cabinet members and deputy ministers had gone to see President Ghani complain about the ‘sexual assaults’ in the Presidential palace, but the President had ignored to investigate and take action after he heard from the group.

Nargis also revealed about the corruption cases by the National Procurement Authority, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education and the senior advisor to President, Dr. Humayoon Qayoumi.(20220116)


Nargis Nehan, Former Afghan Minister of Mines and Petroleum who was speaking in a Twitter space on Sunday Jan 16, 2022 said she has noticed multiple cases of corruption and sexual assaults at the very top levels within the Afghan cabinet members and the Presidential Palace. Nehan named Shaad Mohammad Sargand, Humayoun Qayomi, Mohammad Hanif Atmar, and Elham Omar Hotaki as the corrupt officials she knew about. “Shaad Mohammad Sargand, an advisor to President Ghani who was very closed to President, also used to be his class fellow in the past, was forcing a young Shia girl to enter into a concubine’s marriage with him”, Nargis Nehan said.

Former Afghan minister for mines and fuel who now lives in Norway, Nargis Nehan, had declined an invitation to take part in the three-day visit to talks with a Taliban delegation, women activists and journalists, among others, before meeting Western diplomats on January 24 and 25.


She speaks Pashtu and English

Last Modified 2022-01-23
Established 2017-03-28