Minister of Construction, Housing and Municipalities
In office 17 August 2016 – 25 October 2018
Preceded by
Tariq Al-Khaikani
Succeeded by
Hussain Jasim Kazim
Personal details
Born
(1964-09-23) 23 September 1964 (age 60) Baghdad, Iraq
Profession
Engineer
Ann Nafi Aussi Balbol (Arabic: آن نافع اوسي) is an Assyrian politician from Iraq. She was the former minister of Construction and Housing in the Iraqi government from 2016 to 2018. [1][2]
Aussi was formally elected to the position of Minister in 2016, having sworn in under the Constitution of Iraq and vowing that she was part of no political party. Addressing a press conference, Aussi stated "the ministry is Iraqi and its goal is to serve the country."[4] Aussi's appointment was opposed by Turkmen politicians. After her appointment, she attended a ceremony by the Ministry to commemorate World Habitat Day alongside the United Nations, and confirmed sectors that were most in need of reconstruction after the Islamic State was defeated.[5]
In 2017, Aussi participated in a conference alongside other government officials to discuss the developments of the country and its infrastructure. The conference was hosted by the Iraq Britain Business Council in Dubai.[6][7]
Aussi has designed bridges across Baghdad since the beginning of her career as in engineer in 1988, and has also contributed to parts of multi-story buildings throughout the capital. She has also met with officials from Jordan to rehabilitate a highway connecting the two countries from Umm Qasr Port in Basra to the Port of Aqaba. [8] During the same year, Aussi also coordinated meetings between Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran to increase mutual cooperation and trade between the two countries.[9][10]
Shortly after her appointment as Minister, Aussi was attacked by unidentified gunmen but was unharmed. The Ministry condemned the attack, and Aussi also made her own response, saying "These cowardly terrorist attempts will not deter it from continuing to give and provide services to citizens and harnessing all possible capabilities in order to provide the appropriate atmosphere for the return of the displaced and the reconstruction of the liberated areas."[11]
In her post-governmental career, Aussi has continued to be involved with developing the infrastructure of Iraq, including speaking out against corruption.[12]