Egypt Oil&Gas is saddened to announce that Dr. Eng. Hamdy El Banbi passed away at the age of 81. He died after a short illness in the Armed Forces Hospital in Cairo surrounded by his closest family.

Dr. El Banbi was known as the father of the Egyptian oil and gas industry. He was a key personality that laid foundation to the country’s energy sector.

Dr. El Banbi started his career as a Production Engineer in the Eastern Petroleum Company from 1963 to 1966. He then became a lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering, Al-Azhar University, and stood at the onset of a new generation of Egyptian oil and gas engineers. In 1968, he was appointed to lead operations at the Western Desert Petroleum Company (WEPCO) to later in 1977 take over the chairmanship of the Gulf of Suez Petroleum Company (GUPCO), where he stayed for 11 years.

For his expertise and achievements across the Egyptian sector, Dr. El Banbi was appointed the Chairman of the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) from 1988 to 1991. His role as one of the most influential experts raised him to the position of Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum from 1991 to 1999.

Dr. El Banbi advocated for the energy development in Egypt. He promoted the need for the expansion of natural gas network. The gas-to-home delivery scheme boosted under his leadership. He further advocated for the use of gas as a fuel for vehicles and air conditioning.

The Egyptian oil and gas community has lost an expert and an eloquent advocate, but his contributions and legacy will not be forgotten.