Obama Scholar Mahmoud Abouelnaga, MAIDP Class of 2019

Growing up in Egypt, Mahmoud Abouelnaga, 28, witnessed the close relationship between energy and politics firsthand. He studied energy engineering extensively, earning a BS in Petroleum Engineering at Suez University and an MS in Management and Engineering of Environment and Energy (ME3) at the Universidad Politencia de Madrid, IMT Atlantique, and KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Abouelnaga built upon his observations from his upbringing and life in the Middle East to understand the need for energy to power the economic and basic needs, without strong negative effects on the environment. 

He has worked in production enhancement for Halliburton and on sustainable development pathways with Kate Greene, the coordinator of the MEPI program, at the Dead Sea in Jordan. Abouelnaga’s work in both engineering and climate-related risk management prepared him to serve the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

“I'm focused on how to contribute in shaping the energy future prospects in the MENA region which is not only one of the fastest growing economies regions, but it has always been the hotspot for energy-related geopolitical conflicts,” said Abouelnaga. “Developing sustainable energy and development policies in the MENA region will reflect on more global economic and geopolitical stability.”

Abouelnaga recently implemented these principles at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum in Abu Dhabi, to which he was invited as a distinguished guest by the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. This annual forum gathers an exclusive group of energy and foreign policy leaders to study the geopolitics of energy transformation and the geo-economic implications of the resulting changes to the energy system. Additionally, it sets an annual energy agenda for the year. 

During the Forum, Abouelnaga worked alongside the Ministry of Energy in the United Arab Emirates, ADNOC, and Mubadala with the mentorship of David Livingston, Deputy Director of Climate and Advanced Energy. The experience of engaging discussion with energy professionals, government officials, policymakers, and entrepreneurs is “one of the main distinctive features of the Obama Scholars Program at the Harris School of Public Policy,” Abouelnaga states. 

Livingston asked Abouelnaga to write a blog on the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center as a result of his participation in the Forum; this blog will address an issue or topic related to environmental and energy policy. Abouelnaga intends to organize a seminar at Harris Public Policy to “present and discuss some of the topics that were covered during this iteration of the Forum, including the future of oil, digitization of energy, and diversification within energy companies and countries.”

After the Obama Foundation Scholars program, Abouelnaga plans to return to Egypt and help shape energy policies there so the MENA region can reach the UN Vision 2030.

“I am really looking forward for this network’s achievements in the coming years and I’m excited to be there with my fellow scholars as the inauguration class. I think becoming an Obama Foundation Scholar is like investing in an asset whose value is increasing exponentially with time.”