Source: Wikipedia

Egyptians like to celebrate – especially winning political battles. Celebrations broke out in the iconic Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo at news that the previous prime minister – assigned by ex-President Mubarak – stepped down. They were even more jubilant at the announcement that Essam Sharaf, founder and CEO of Age of Science, an NGO with a clear science promotion agenda, will head the new cabinet.

Tens of thousands gathered in Tahrir Square today after the Friday prayers to listen to Sharaf who came to give a short speech, promising reform through a technocrat cabinet to carry Egypt through this interim period.

But who is Sharaf? And is there reason to be excited about the announcement?

In a meeting between some representatives of the young revolutionaries and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (who is running the country temporarily until a civilian president is elected), Sharaf was the foremost name put forward by the young people for the role of prime minister to replace the much hated Ahmed Shafiq. Reports say that Mohammed ElBaradei, ex-director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and leading opposition figures, also favoured Sharaf for the position.

In 2004 he became minister of transport, but resigned two years later in objection to the corruption in the cabinet and formed his Age of Science NGO, with support from Nobel Laureate chemist Ahmed Zewail and remote sensing expert Farouk El-Baz.

In fact, a march by university faculty against Mubarak during the revolution was led by Sharaf himself, chanting with the people against the very regime that he resigned from due to its corruption. No wonder he has large ‘street cred’ with the people in Tahrir!

A scientist with postgraduate degrees from Purdue University and West Lafayette school in the US, Sharaf has always stressed the importance of science for the development of Egypt. In an interview in August 2010, he repeatedly argued “that scientific research should be an issue of national security in Egypt because without it, we won’t find basic necessities of food and water in the near future.”

This was the main reason behind setting up the Age of Science NGO when he left the ministry.

Sharaf has often made it clear he is against normalisation of ties with Israel, even in science and scientific research, until the Israel-Palestinian conflict is resolved.

I am lucky to have met the new prime minister on several occasions in the past, and to know him personally. We have talked on several occasions about his vision for science in Egypt and development. He is a smart, articulate and well-spoken scientist with a reformist agenda.

In fact, two days after the revolution, he reached out to several young people from the science community (myself included) to form a committee to plan how scientific research may be developed in Egypt post-revolution.

I went out to Tahrir Square today to celebrate this appointment because I think this is, by far, the most positive sign we have seen since the fall of the past regime. It will be interesting to watch what reshuffles he does to the cabinet. I would personally hope he keeps the previously appointed minister of education and higher education and minister of scientific research, who are also two excellent choices for the position.

I think with them in position, and Sharaf leading the cabinet, this interim government is looking better than any of Egypt’s previous governments, at least when it comes to science.