AURAK Goes to the Banks

The American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) School of Graduate Studies and Research featured the Executive Director of Ras Al Khaimah Center for Statistics and Studies, Dr. Ibrahim Akoum, in its Public Lecture Series in presenting “The World Bank and IMF: Policies and Global Impact.”

Dr. Ibrahim Akoum is currently the Executive Director, Ras Al Khaimah Center for Statistics and Studies and was previously an Associate Professor of Business and Economics, Dean of the College of Business Administration at Rafik Hariri University in Lebanon, Chairman of the Financial Studies Department at the College of Business Administration, the Special Advisor to the President for Strategic Planning at RHU, and a member of the University’s Academic Board. He has over 30 years of professional experience in international economics, macroeconomic policy analysis, capital markets, executive training, and academia. He has worked at the World Bank and the Arab Monetary Fund. He has consulted with the United Nations, the Union of Arab Banks, and Dubai Council for Economic Affairs.

His presentation focused on The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.  He gave a brief back history describing why they were formed, how many countries own each bank, their original purpose, the purposes each bank currently serves, how each bank operates, and the voting power attributed to the different companies that own each bank.

The presentation was well received by the participants. The Director of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Research, Dr. Eduardo Ali, explained, “It was very well presented. I learned a lot and it excited me so much that I’m inspired to get more involved in this discipline,” and engineering student, MoHammed Zaqout, thought that, “he was just brilliant.”