Osman Ahmed Osman

Osman was born on April 6, 1917, in the town of Ismailia in Egypt. Osman was born to an impoverished family, whose situation was made worse after his father died in 1920, when Osman was three years old. His eldest brother, Mohamed, dropped out of school to provide a steady income to support the family. As a child, Osman himself often had to work to supply additional income.

Upon completing his schoolwork, Osman moved to Cairo to pursue a degree in Civil Engineering. Unable to afford tuition, rent, or even public transportation, Osman improvised: he received a scholarship from Cairo University, lived with his older sister, and commuted on a bike he had assembled himself. Osman excelled and graduated in 1940 with a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering. He then returned to his hometown, Ismailia. He worked with his maternal uncle, an illiterate but savvy contractor, for 18 months.

Politically, Osman was a staunch supporter of President Anwar Al Sadat. Like Sadat, Osman believed in capitalism, free-market principles, and open-door policies with trade, with certain restrictions. He believed that the private sector should be allowed to thrive; only certain sectors, like utilities, should be public. He denounced Nasser's socialist agenda as merely a ploy to gain support of the masses. For example, Nasser guaranteed jobs for all university graduates. Osman said that this policy was a trick to gain support of the people, but that the policy itself was not sustainable or practical. In his book, he warns graduates from accepting the default government position, saying that the government would not be able to provide such a large number of jobs. Osman argued that the "owner of any private project is interested in expanding it along with his wealth, and expansion of the project can only mean increased production and job opportunities".

Like Sadat, Osman also believed that it was in Egypt's (and the region's) best interest to try and tackle the Israeli-Palestine conflict diplomatically. Osman believed that by doing so, the Arab countries would be able to win over the rest of the world. Osman accompanied Sadat on his visit to Israel in 1977 to speak at the Knesset.

Osman believed that for developing a country, business and economic development were a form of national duty far more important than many political issues.

Critics of Osman tend to be critics of Sadat, arguing that Osman exploited his close relationship with Sadat to gain political power and financial success. Osman and Sadat were known to be close friends, from even before Sadat's presidency. Osman and Sadat had very similar views, and were neighbors in El Haram Giza. Osman's eldest son, Mahmoud Osman, married Sadat's youngest daughter, Jihan (Nana) Al Sadat, further solidifying the tie.

Osman, as one of Sadat's close friends and political allies, was subjected to much criticism, most of which was ultimately aimed at Sadat. It is said that Osman was the second most powerful man in Egypt during Sadat's presidency. Defenders of Osman argue that he amassed most of his wealth during the Nasser presidency, mostly outside of Egypt (in other Arab countries). In fact, they argue, most of Osman's wealth was invested in the Arab Contractors, which was nationalized by Nasser. Critics point out that Osman remained in control of the Arab Contractors, even after nationalization (a rare occurrence under Nasser's regime), and that he kept key familial allies and friend in top positions in the company, ultimately remaining in control, and using that control to leverage other business endeavors.