About the Ministry
About the Ministry of Commerce and Industry: its history, its responsibilities, its ministers and undersecretaries
Historical Overview
The Ministry of Commerce in the State of Kuwait was established in 1963, following the issuance of the Amiri Decree on the formation of the Cabinet dated 28 January 1963, which provided for its establishment.
Under the Amiri Decree issued on 5 December 1965, the Ministry was renamed the “Ministry of Commerce and Industry.” It retained this name until 3 March 1985, when responsibility for commerce was transferred to the Ministry of Finance, while responsibility for industry was transferred to the Ministry of Oil.
On 12 August 1986, the Amiri Decree concerning the “Ministry of Commerce and Industry” was issued, comprehensively defining the Ministry’s objectives and responsibilities.
On 21 July 2015, Amiri Decree No. 191 of 2015 on the Organization of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry was issued. It provides that:
The Ministry shall support and supervise commercial and economic activities and ensure the provision of goods, materials, and services. This decree supersedes the previous decree issued in 1986.
The Amiri Decree of 15 July 2015 defined the Ministry’s objectives as follows:
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry shall be responsible for supporting and supervising commercial and economic activities and ensuring the provision of goods, materials, and services.
On 9 September 1996, Amiri Decree No. 56 of 1996 promulgating the Industry Law was issued. Under this decree, the industrial sector was separated from the Ministry of Commerce and established as the Public Authority for Industry, while remaining under the supervision of the Minister.
Subsequently, efforts were made to amend the Ministry’s organizational structure through Ministerial Resolution No. 147 of 1997. As part of ongoing initiatives to enhance the Ministry’s performance and enable it to fulfill its responsibilities effectively, in alignment with the State’s economic development objectives, the organizational structure was reviewed and its various administrative units were restructured.
These efforts culminated in the issuance of Ministerial Resolution No. 152 of 2011, dated 31 March 2011, which introduced a revised organizational structure.
The Ministry carries out its responsibilities in accordance with a comprehensive framework of laws and decrees that establish the legal foundation governing its functions and activities.
Organizational Development of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
On September 9, 1996, Amiri Decree No. 56 of 1996 was issued, promulgating the Industry Law. Under this decree, the industrial sector, represented by the Public Authority for Industry, was separated from the commerce sector while remaining under the supervision of the Minister.
An attempt was subsequently made to amend the Ministry's organizational structure through Ministerial Resolution No. 147/1997. As partOrganizational Development of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
of ongoing efforts to enhance the Ministry's performance and enable it to fulfill its duties and responsibilities effectively, in alignment with the State's objectives of stimulating economic growth, the organizational structure was reviewed and all its administrative units were restructured.
These efforts culminated in the issuance of Ministerial Resolution No. 152/2011 on March 31, 2011, establishing the revised organizational structure.
The Ministry carries out its responsibilities in accordance with a framework of laws and decrees that form the general legal foundation governing its functions and activities.
Ministry Responsibilities
Responsibilities of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
The responsibilities of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, as stipulated in the Amiri Decree issued on July 15, 2015, are as follows:
Regulating domestic and international commercial activities, organizing local and international exhibitions, and participating in exhibitions held abroad.
Supervising companies, commercial establishments, and commercial registration activities in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
Developing national products and promoting Kuwaiti exports in international and industrial markets, in cooperation with Arab and foreign countries and organizations.
Ensuring the availability of essential goods and commodities at reasonable prices to meet the country's needs.
Promoting consumer awareness, overseeing consumer protection, and combating commercial fraud.
Supervising trade in goods, services, and professional activities, monitoring and determining the prices of certain goods through market studies and price comparisons to ensure price stability, particularly for food products.
Supervising subsidy and rationing programs and implementing the necessary measures in accordance with the State's general policies.
Monitoring the implementation and enforcement of international agreements to which the State of Kuwait is a party, relating to global, regional, and domestic trade, economic and financial crimes, anti-money laundering, and counter-terrorism financing.
Issuing and monitoring commercial licenses.
Supervising commercial agencies and import activities.
Issuing licenses for activities in free zones in accordance with Law No. 26 of 1995.
Supervising the trade, manufacturing, and importation of precious metals, jewelry, and gemstones.
Supervising real estate marketing activities.
Regulating and supervising money exchange institutions and real estate brokerage activities, in coordination with other relevant regulatory authorities.
Ministers
Names of the ministers who held the ministerial portfolio of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry:
Mr. Abdulaziz Nasser Abdulaziz Al-Marzouq
Minister of Commerce and Industry
September 2026 to Present
Mr. Osama Khaled Abdullah Boodai
Minister of Commerce and Industry
February 2026 to September 2026
Mr. Khalifa Abdullah Al-Ajeel
Minister of Commerce and Industry
August 2024 to January 2026
Mr. Omar Saud Al-Omar
Minister of Commerce and Industry
May 2024 to August 2024
Mr. Abdullah Hamad Al-Jouan
Minister of Commerce and Industry
January 2024 to May 2024
Mr. Mohammed Othman Al-Aiban
Minister of Commerce and Industry
April 2023 to December 2023
Mr. Mazen Saad Al-Nahedh
Minister of Commerce and Industry
October 2022 to April 2023
Mr. Fahad Mutlaq Al-Shuraian
Minister of Commerce and Industry
December 2021 to October 2022
Dr. Abdullah Essa Al-Salman
Minister of Commerce and Industry
March 2021 to November 2021
Mr. Faisal Abdulrahman Al-Medlej
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Dec 2020 to Mar 2021
Mr. Khaled Nasser Al-Roudhan
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Dec 2016 to Dec 2020
Dr. Yousef Mohammed Al-Ali
Minister of Commerce and Industry
May 2015 to Nov 2016
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Dr. Abdul-Mohsen Al-Medj
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Jan 2014 to Mar 2015
Mr. Anas Khaled Al-Saleh
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Feb 2012 to Jan 2014
Mrs. Amani Bursli
Minister of Commerce and Industry
May 2011 to Feb 2012
Mr. Ahmed Rashid Al-Haroun
Minister of Commerce and Industry
May 2009 to Mar 2011
Mr. Ahmed Yaqoub Baqer Al Abdullah
Minister of Commerce and Industry
May 2008 to Mar 2009
Mr. Falah Fahd Muhammad Al-Hajri
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Jul 2006 to May 2008
Sheikh / Ali Jarrah Sabah Al-Muhammad Al-Sabah
Minister of Commerce and Industry
May 2006 to Jul 2006
Mr. Youssef Syed Hassan Al-Zalzalah
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Feb 2006 to May 2006
Mr. Abdullah Abdulrahman Al-Taweel
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Jul 2003 to Jan 2006
Mr. Salah Abdel-Reda Khorshid
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Feb 2001 to Jul 2003
Mr. Abdel Wahab Al-Wazzan
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Jul 1999 to Jan 2001
Mr. Hisham Al-Otaibi
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Dec 1998 to Jul 1999
Mr. Abdul Aziz Al-Dakhil
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Jan 1998 to Dec 1998
Mr. Jassim Abdullah Al-Mudhaf
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Jan 1996 to Dec 1998
Mr. Hilal Mishari Al-Mutairi
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Jan 1994 to Dec 1996
Mr. Abdullah Rashid Al-Hajri
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Jan 1992 to Dec 1994
Mr. Abdullah Al-Jarallah
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Jan 1991 to Dec 1992
Mr. Nasser Al-Roudhan
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Jan 1990 to Dec 1991
Mr. Faisal Abdul Razzaq Al Khaled
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Jan 1986 to Dec 1990
Mr. Jassim Mohammed Al-Kharafi
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Jan 1985 to Dec 1986
Mr. Jassim Khaled Dawood Al-Marzouq
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Jan 1981 to Dec 1985
Mr. Abdel-Wahab Youssef Al-Nafisi
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Jan 1975 to Dec 1981
Mr. Khaled Suleiman Al-Adsani
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Jan 1971 to Dec 1975
Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Jan 1965 to Dec 1971
Mr. Khalifa Khaled Al-Ghunaim
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Jan 1963 to Dec 1964
Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Jan 1962 to Dec 1963
Undersecretaries of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Names of the Messrs. Undersecretaries of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry:
Ziyad Abdullah Al-Najem
Undersecretary
August 2023 – March 2025
Mr. Abdullah Mohammed Al-Afasy
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Mar 2019 to Feb 2021
Dr. Khaled Ali Al-Fadhel
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Jan 2018 to Jan 2019
Mr. Khaled Jassim Al-Shamali
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Jan 2015 to Jan 2017
Mr. Abdulaziz Mishaan Al-Khalidi
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Jan 2015 to Jan 2017
Mr. Rashid Al-Tabtabae
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Jan 2003 to Jan 2011
Mr. Rashid Abdullah Al-Roumi
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Jan 1998 to Jan 2003
Dr. Walid Abdel Mohsen Al-Waheeb
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Jan 1994 to Jan 1998
Mr. Abdullah Al-Hamad
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Jan 1975 to Jan 1998
Mr. Khaled Ali Al-Kharafi
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Jan 1963 to Jan 1975
السيدة/مروة بداح مسلم الجعيدان
الوكيل المساعد للشؤون الفنية
إبريل 2025 إلى الآن
Ministry of Commerce
We Work Together
We Work Together
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry supports and supervises commercial and economic activities and ensures the availability of goods, materials, and services.