Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued Decree No. 189 of 2026, appointing Basel Abdul Aziz Abdul Hannan as minister of industry, internal trade and consumer protection. The move separates these sectors from the Ministry of Economy and Industry, which Mohammad Nidal al-Shaar has headed since March 2025.
Under the change, the portfolios brought together in a single ministry under the previous cabinet are divided between two ministries: Industry, Internal Trade and Consumer Protection, headed by Abdul Hannan, and Economy and Foreign Trade, headed by al-Shaar.
Al-Sharaa appointed al-Shaar minister of economy and industry in March 2025 after merging the ministries of Industry, Economy and Foreign Trade, and Internal Trade and Consumer Protection into a single portfolio, as part of efforts to restructure the Syrian government and reduce the number of ministries.
Abdul Hannan served as minister of economy and resources in the Syrian Salvation Government from 2020 until the former regime’s fall in December 2024. He also oversaw the ministries of Industry and Economy and Foreign Trade in the caretaker government.
Who Is Basel Abdul Hannan?
Basel Abdul Aziz Abdul Hannan is from Aleppo. Born in 1985, he earned a bachelor’s degree in energy engineering from the University of Aleppo in 2009.
Abdul Hannan previously lectured at the University of Aleppo’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. He also worked in engineering industries in the city’s Sheikh Najjar industrial zone (Aleppo governorate, northern Syria) and held administrative positions in the industrial sector in northern Syria before the former regime’s fall.
According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Abdul Hannan has completed advanced courses in economic feasibility studies, strategic planning and human resources management. He also has experience in government and in managing economic and industrial affairs.
Ministry Mergers in March 2025
The Syrian cabinet announced in March 2025 merged several ministries. Mohammad Nidal al-Shaar was appointed minister of economy and industry after the ministries of Industry, Economy and Foreign Trade, and Internal Trade and Consumer Protection were combined into a single portfolio.
Mohammed al-Bashir was also appointed minister of energy following the merger of the ministries of Electricity, Oil and Mineral Resources, and Water Resources.
The government at the time comprised 23 ministers, compared with 29 ministries in the former regime’s final cabinet, announced in August 2024. The new cabinet also included two newly established ministries: Youth and Sports, and Emergency and Disaster Management.
The March 2025 cabinet announcement did not provide a detailed explanation for the ministry mergers, raising questions about the reasons for reorganizing sectors directly linked to the economy and public services.
In a report published on April 2, 2025, examining the formation of the Syrian government, the Arab Centre for Contemporary Syrian Studies said the reduction from 29 ministries to 23 through mergers reflected more than an organizational approach and could also be linked to scarce resources and funding challenges.
The report said curbing government spending was a necessity given the weak public budget and the difficulty of obtaining external support if sanctions were not lifted.
Management Changes at Economic Institutions
The appointment of the minister of industry, internal trade and consumer protection comes a day after two other presidential decrees concerning the management of Syrian economic institutions.
On Sunday, October 18, al-Sharaa issued Decrees No. 190 and 191 of 2026, appointing Maher Khalil al-Hassan as CEO of the Syrian Petroleum Company, replacing Youssef Qablawi, and Omar Samer al-Halabi as chairman of the Sovereign Fund’s board, replacing Mazen al-Salhani.
Al-Hassan’s appointment followed criticism of the handling of fuel supplies during Qablawi’s tenure, most recently over a contaminated gasoline crisis that damaged vehicles in several Syrian governorates.
Al-Halabi’s appointment also coincided with Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade renewing the sanctions listing of Ibrahim Succarieh, previously known as “Abu Maryam al-Australi,” the Sovereign Fund’s director-general.
The three decrees mark a succession of appointments to administrative and economic posts at the Ministry of Industry, Internal Trade and Consumer Protection, the Syrian Petroleum Company and the Sovereign Fund.