Ashraf el Arabi is currently an Advisor at the Arab Planning Institute (API) in Kuwait.

He was the former Minister of Planning and International Cooperation of Egypt until 2012 and Minister of Planning and Administrative Reform until 2017. 
He also worked as consultant at the Center for Policy Studies of the National Planning Instiute.

He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Kansas in the United States.

He is member of the board of directors of the Arab Society for Economic Research and board of trustees of API.

He has published many research and background papers on international reports
His research and advisory interests include: planning and development,competitiveness, labor markets and migration, economics of education and human resources, poverty and social development and econometric economics.