Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Youssef Abdullah Mahmoud Asfour
(born in 1955 - Sinjil village, Palestine) is a Palestinian businessman. He is
the founder and chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab American
University in Palestine.
his upbringing
Asfour was born in 1955 in the
village of Sinjil, administratively affiliated to the Ramallah and Al-Bireh
Governorate. He joined the village school and was known for his academic
excellence and excellence, and for preserving his lessons, but he did not have
the opportunity to complete his university studies due to the narrow financial
situation of his family, which forced him to work at an early age in many
fields, trying to collect an amount of money that would enable him to complete
his university studies.
his career
He moved to the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia during the seventies to work in the field of customs clearance, and
within a short period of time he began working in the practice of trade and
work after that in the field of marble and granite and then to work in the
field of contracting. He worked as an import and export agent for various
agencies for many companies, and then he opened his own company in the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia in the field of customs clearance, in addition to his work in
the field of real estate in Palestine at that time.
In 1996, Asfour established with a
group of Palestinian businessmen the Arab American University and opened in
2000. It is the first private university in Palestine and its main headquarters
is located near the village of Talfit, south of Jenin Governorate. In 1997,
Asfour established the “Geneva Company” for marble and granite in Palestine,
and its capital is now estimated at about $17 million. In 2018, he also
established the Sydney Tourism Investment Company, which owns several
international commercial agencies, including Gloria Jean's Café.
Charity
Asfour is known for his
contributions to charitable work. Since his return to Palestine, he has
presented a number of investment projects that have helped create job
opportunities for workers in the state. In the mid-1990s, Asfour donated the
construction of a secondary school in the village of Sinjil. He also made many
contributions to the development of the Sinjil Club. He is also known for
providing annual assistance to all Sinjil village projects at the level of
schools, the municipality and the club.
One of his initiatives included the
establishment of a bank to support the poor in Palestine, and he undertook to
invite businessmen, economists, and financiers in Palestine to work on
providing a project that would develop the national economy and reduce
unemployment and poverty.
Achievements and Awards
Honors
He received an honorary doctorate
in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Oxford for his
achievements in the fields of education and economics.
President Mahmoud Abbas honored him
and awarded him the Star of Merit from the Medal of the State of Palestine, in
appreciation of his national role and economic contributions in the field of
higher education.
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