| Tooryalai Wesa توريالی ویسا |
|
|---|---|
| Wesa speaking in 2009 | |
| Governor of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office Dec, 19, 2008 |
|
| Preceded by | Rahmatullah Raufi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kandahar, Afghanistan |
| Religion | Islam |
Tooryalai Wesa (Pashto: توريالی ویسا) is the current Governor of Kandahar Province, after replacing General Rahmatullah Raufi in December 2008.[1] Tooryalai Wesa was born in village Kohak in District Arghandab and grew up in Kandahar. His family and the family of Afghan President Hamid Karzai have enjoyed close relationship for a long time.
Before his appointment as the Governor of Kandahar, he lived in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada for 13 years. From 1995 to 1998, he worked for the Asian Studies Center and the Center for Policy Studies in Education at the University of British Columbia.
Dr. Wesa was named senior advisor to the Afghan Minister for Higher Education in 1989 and returned to Kandahar City in 1991 as founding president of Kandahar University. From 1993 to 1994, he served as a guest lecturer in the University of Zurich, Switzerland.
As a student, lecturer and researcher, Dr. Wesa has been associated with 10 universities worldwide and has published 20 articles including text books.
After securing his B.Sc. in Agricultural Economics & Extension from the Faculty of Agriculture at Kabul University in 1973, he pursued his M.Sc. at the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, American University of Beirut, Lebanon. Due to the civil war in Lebanon, he moved to the Department of Agricultural Education, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA and received his M. Sc. Degree in 1977. He obtained his Ph. D. from the University of British Columbia, Canada. His thesis was “The Afghan Agricultural Extension System: Impact of the Soviet Occupation and Prospects for the Future”.
In addition to his career as an academic, Dr. Wesa has worked as a consultant for the Canadian Government (Statistics Canada), the US Government (USAID), British Government (DFID), the United Nations (FAO and UNDP) and several NGOs (including the SENLIS Council).
Dr. Wesa speaks Pashto, English, Dari, Persian, German and Arabic. He belongs to the Mohammedzai subtribe. Dr. Wesa’s immediate family includes a wife, and three daughters.
He narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on November 27, 2009 when a roadside bomb damaged his vehicle.[2]
| Preceded by Rahmatullah Raufi |
Governor of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan 2008–present |
Succeeded by incumbent |