Prince Ahmed, committed to welfare
RIYADH: Saudi King Abdullah issued a decree appointing Prince Ahmed as interior minister, a post held by the late Prince Naif since 1975.

The 31st son of King Abdul Aziz born in 1941, Prince Ahmed received his primary and secondary education in Riyadh. The prince went to Red Lands College in the US for his university education in 1962. He graduated from the university in 1968, receiving a bachelor’s in management.

The then King Faisal appointed Prince Ahmed as the deputy governor of Makkah Province in June 1971. After four years, he was appointed deputy minister of interior, a post he held until last Monday. As deputy minister, he was dealing with provincial matters.

The prince is known for rooting out criminal activities in the Kingdom. He is a strong advocate of traditional Saudi values, religious principles and political vision. The prince is also uncompromising when it comes to the rights of the Kingdom and its citizens. For instance, he criticised a warning from the US to their citizens about travelling to the Kingdom, calling it unjustified.

He pointed out Saudis travelling to the US were exposed to more danger. The prince used to urge employers to follow all labour laws scrupulously as there were more than seven million expatriates in the Kingdom. He is the honorary president of the Saudi Alzheimer’s Charitable Society.