“MEO is dedicated to provide credible & sound analysis for a better future”
“Production is the key solution to building a nation”
Did you ever wonder what is the recipe for success? Is it all hard work with a pinch of dedication or a lot of determination with an ounce of perseverance? Well according to Ahmed Fouda the true recipe is a collective mix of all of the above whisked to a very high standard with a sprinkle of the secret ingredients; an objective and a genuine desire to succeed. Today The Middle East Observer is proud to share with you the success story of a man who challenged the world to achieve a dream he had. A prominent figure in the world of journalism and a shrewd business man who started from scratch and carved the book selling route on the map of Egypt. Ahmed Fouda defiantly sailed the high seas of the various tenuous political and economic eras in Egypt and managed to maintain and further develop The Middle East Observer until his departure in November 2015.
The Self-made man
Ahmed Mohamed Fouda was born in Karmooz, Alexandria on the 16th of September 1932. Under British occupation at the time, Alexandria was one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the east of the Mediterranean. Despite the turmoil of the 2nd world war wreaking havoc all across the world, Ahmed lived in the mosaic of the Alexandrian tolerant and socially inclusive society which encompassed a rich multicultural array of foreign nationalities and various ethnic and religious backgrounds. This early introduction of multicultural awareness very much shaped his character and heavily impacted his personality as he grew to understand how this diversity enriched the world he was living in.
Through various jobs and daily interactions Ahmed taught himself French and English and was able to secure more than one part-time job when his father passed away at the age of 16 and left him to care for his 6 siblings and mother. Speaking 3 languages; Arabic, English and French and mastering the art of “writing” the energetic young Alexandrian cast his sights and ambitions on the media world where he built his credentials and contacts in the world of journalism and soon after relocated to Cairo, the capital of Arab journalism which housed all the major Arabic, English and French newspapers.
Career Choices – An economist and a businessman
Ahmed started his career in journalism in 1951 with a number of reporting roles with the French dailies “Le Voir Egyptienne”, “Journal de Commerce as well as the Belgium news wire in Alexandria. One of his journalistic scoops was captured in 1952 when he was the first to publish the first official press release issued by President Mohamed Naguib following the 1952 Egyptian revolution. Fouda’s ambition still hungered for more and so he went on to expand his horizons and visited the Financial Times headquarters where he learnt the latest journalistic and publishing techniques. Throughout his life he always tended to challenges by stepping up his game and was a true example for the saying “when the going gets tough the tough gets going”. Halfway in the 1950s Ahmed joined the team of the daily economic French newspaper “L’Observateur” and the English economic newspaper “The Middle East Observer” where he started as a junior reporter but very quickly his talent and competence were recognised and he became one of its senior editors and newspaper manager. A couple of years later Ahmed bought “L’Observateur” and the “Middle East Observer” newspapers from their owners, Boris and Edghar Deblac and he got the concession for The Middle Observer newspaper in August 1959. 
Through hard work The Middle East Observer became the only English economic newspaper for national and international tenders In the early 80s Ahmed Fouda raised the profile of The Middle East Observer even further through his energy and ingenuity by venturing into the books market and being the official distributor for World Bank and IMF publications and the first non-OECD country distributor for OECD publications.
Mastering the art of writing – A poet and a writer
Ahmed got his first taste for success at the age of 15 when he published his first set of short stories “Orientalist” under the name Foudia La Bourge. The stories were published between 1950 and 1956 in several Arabic newspapers; the daily “Al Basir” which was published by Sadik Shayboub and “El Zaman” which was published by Edgar Galad Pasha. Some of his Arabic short stories were also aired on Alexandria’s national radio, which was headed by Hafiz Abdel Wahab at that time. Ahmed loved reading and writing poetry. His poetic writings illustrated a mostadmirable innermost beauty. “The Blue Eyes” was one of his best works where he compared his love for his home town; Alexandria with its blue magical sea to a pretty lady with deep blue eyes. He was a man who truly appreciated beauty!
In 2005 he wrote and published more Arabic novels and plays where he predicted the world would see a 3rd world war. “Chocolate Ball” was one of his famous works, that talked about the suffering of the Japanese citizens from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the 20th century.
His work speaks for itself – A Visionary
There is no doubt that when someone’s soul leaves this world, his presence is reflected in the work he or she left behind. There is no doubt that Ahmed Fouda’s years of continuous success left a deep trace in the field of journalism . “Surviving under various political and economic circumstances” was his main goal stated MEO consultant Yasmine Fouda. Maintaining an English economic newspaper with a certain niche market within an Arabic speaking society was not an easy task; other similar economic publications did not survive within the Egyptian market; however I would say that credibility and his hard work were the main drive behind the MEO success, explains Yasmine. He believed that production is the key solution to building a nation, and in 2014 he stressed that The Middle East Observer should continue his legacy in the years to follow, by providing credible and sound analyses for a better future. Though Ahmed Fouda passed away in 2015 his ambition, commitment and optimism still manifest themselves within the Middle East Observer to this day. His wish to work until the end of his time in the place he spent his years building and nurturing actually came true; until the last moment he still had his passion for the job he spent years dedicating his time and effort in.In his memory, MEO staff are delighted to share with you testimonials of those who knew and worked with Ahmed Fouda.
Flash
It is very important to mention that Ahmed Fouda’s analytical capabilities and future vision enabled him to deduce various significant forecasts. The coming few lines will show some of his predictions that he wrote in his regular column Flash:
We and the world on the edge
It seems that the world is on the verge of WWIII, one that seems to be approaching the Middle East, its winds blowing from USA; which seems to have miscalculated the strength of Asian countries, mistaking them for Russia; that is going through one of its down phases? What is taking place in the Middle East could be the extension of a fire igniting somewhere else? It is evident that Saudi Arabia is targeted by parties that seek to sabotage the Middle East, and drag it into chaos; parties that are totally unaware of the damage awaiting the region in case of further escalation? I dare that heading these parties is Iran.
Ahmed Fouda…
Testimonials
The Grand father
There are some people who come into your life and make it better, simply by being in it. They embrace you with their kindness and fill you with their wisdom. Many of you will know Ahmed Fouda as the Managing Owner of The Middle East Observer Newspaper and the founder of its book-selling section – but this is just one of his many great accomplishments. Growing up, I heard both admirable stories about him and fascinating stories from him – showing his dedication and genuine passion for whatever he put his mind to. In sharing his wisdom, anyone who met him had something to learn from him. Ahmed Fouda was an example of the great things that could be achieved when you couple hard work with integrity. Although his passing will always be a great loss, may we continue to remember Ahmed Fouda in all his glory and pay our respects to a truly honourable man.
Salma Mohamed Yehia
Grand Daughter
Ahmed Fouda, the brother I Knew
My brother’s success story is one full of hard work, struggles, hardship, courage, persistence, sacrifice, determination, and endless triumphs. It’s the journey of a young man from Alexandria, whose father passed away at the age of 16, leaving behind a family of six children, I was the youngest of whom; only five years old. My older brother, willingly and whole heartedly took it upon his shoulders to lead us all to the safety of the shore, a goal he strived hard to achieve, and a determination that never succumbed despite the rough waves, and high tide. My brother totally forgot about his friends, and peers who had the luxury of spending their school breaks partying, playing football, watching movies and socializing, he couldn’t afford this luxury of wasting time. He was a young man with a mission. My brother worked several jobs to make ends meet, he taught himself English and French aiming for an opportunity in the foreign press, all while working two jobs. He left Alexandria to Cairo aiming for better opportunities, ones that would fulfil his endless ambitions and allow him the kind of job that he always yearned for. The job that would satisfy his appetite for success, and scoring in a world that he understood was all about addressing challenges. Having left to Cairo, Ahmed, my brother made sure he spent all special occasions with us in Alexandria, and I will never forget how it was never a feast until he arrived with all the feast goodies, and new clothes for all of us. I recall clearly one particular feast when he did not make it to Alexandria on the night of the feast, on this particular night I went to bed with tears in my eyes to wake up in the morning to find that he arrived very late at night with all the usual goodies and feast clothes, and only then it seemed like the feast. Being the youngest of my siblings, and having graduated from Faculty of Commerce, my brother still didn’t feel that this was the end of his mission, he still made sure I was on the right track, he first gave me a one year training in his office; where he taught me fundamentals of running a business, principles of hard work, persistence, and all the groundwork needed to accomplish in a world that was eager for those with ambition. Afterwards, he provided me with the funds I needed to start my own business. I will live to remember that he was the one to buy me the first watch, and the first bicycle I ever owned; for how could I forget the man who gave brother-ship its meaning.
Nabil Fouda
Brother
A sincere & persistent businessman
“There is a saying about certain people who are universally admired that they would “give you the shirt off their back.” Ahmed Foda was one of those people. He was kind, generous, sincere, and possessed a deep interest in other people and the world in general. The world would be a much better place if more people followed his example.
As to how the MEO became a World Bank distributor – it was mainly due to his persistence. He initially wrote to us declaring his interest in distributing Bank publications. At that time our policy was to only have one per country. Our thinking was that since the market was small any competition would discourage marketing efforts. So we wrote back to Mr. Foda telling him that we already had a distributor in Egypt. Mr. Foda off-course wouldn’t take no for an answer so he wrote back to us and asked to meet with us. We agreed to meet with him. We were so impressed with his sincerity and desire to work with us that we changed our policy and agreed to appoint a second distributor in Egypt. Time proved this to be a wise decision.”
Alan Donovan
Ex. World Bank Publications Marketing Director
A professional businessman
“I knew Mr Ahmed Foda as a gentle and kind man. He took pride in his work and he was a true, old-fashioned professional. But above all, he was immensely proud of his children (and he had every reason to be!). I am very proud to have known him, our profession and the world are poorer for his loss. He has left happy memories behind, may he rest in peace!”
Jasmina
Basic Area Sales Manager – Middle East / Southern Africa / Caribbean
Taylor & Francis Books
Ahmed Fouda – The Father
My father I can honestly say was a bulk of positive energy, and nothing can describe him better. Even in his eighties, when some of his friends were losing hope and looking forward to a peaceful sedentary life style, he was considering an offer for a new job, with all that comes with it from expected hard work and challenges.
An eternal optimist, one of the things that most triggered my father’s excitement was to hear of a success story, especially stories of those who turned failure to success or persisted until they achieved their goal. My dad simply valued, and believed in goal attainment, overcoming obstacles and reaching the happy ever after finale, a true romantic, and a bundle of joy. In his last days, because he hardly left the house I thought of making use of a psychology theory I learnt; which said that if you want to feel better talk to someone who is in a worse position than yours so that in comparison you feel good about yourself, however, my dad proved this theory wrong. In my attempt to lift his mood, I thought I would let him know of some of the miserable tragedies that were taking place around us, so as to make him feel that in comparison he was in a better position, but my dad a humanitarian by nature, was the exception to the theory, and my attempt failed, as he thrived not only on his success but on other people’s triumphs. As much as my dad worked as much as he enjoyed life, and all that came with it from excitement. He addressed challenges in a very smooth manner, considering them part of life, for how could he see them otherwise, he was an experienced challenge overcomer, one who started at the age of 16, far from being an amateur in addressing challenges, by the time he was 80 challenges were nothing but another day, that sunlight would clear.
I was lucky to have Ahmed Fouda as my father, to live with a legend, a super hero, and an eternal optimist, who could ask for more.
Yasmine Ahmed Fouda
Daughter
A traveller & problem solver
Ahmed Fouda had a warm and genuinely welcoming smile that reflected his kindness and generosity. He loved reading but writing was most certainly his passion! He appreciated life and loved trotting the globe from east and west to north and south. He was wise and cheerful; always thankful for all the blessings he had and grateful for God’s grant of inner strength in facing all the hardships he encountered. I remember whilst growing up how flustered I got telling him about a problem and how focused he was on generating solutions.
When I think of the lessons I learnt from him that I would truly love to pass on to my children the following come to mind: sanctity of family, love and respect to in-laws, unconditional love, tolerance, compassion and understanding. He never really believed in the word “Impossible” and very seldom accepted “No” for an answer!
Ahmed Fouda was my loving father, my best friend and most trusted advisor.
I certainly was most privileged to have been raised by him.
Ghada Fouda – Daughter
A man of integrity & optimism
“Whilst deeply saddened that Mr Ahmed is no longer with us, remembering each of the many occasions on which we met in his beloved Egypt or during the book fairs in the UK, Germany, Oman and the UAE prompts me to smile, just as broadly as his own smiles, welcoming me into his world. A warm, kind man of integrity, deeply proud of his family and a true ‘bookman’, a man I was privileged to call my friend and whose company I greatly enjoyed. The world is a sadder place without him but is a better place for him having been with us for as long as he was, most especially to the many whose lives he touched.”
Bill Kennedy
Avicenna Partnership Ltd – Academic Publishers Representative in The MENA Region
A faithful trusted hard working boss
To the soul of my intimate friend and master, Ahmed Foda I have started work in Middle East Observer newspaper (MEO) in the 1961; I continued working under your leadership and guidance for fifty years. We jointly launched the first issue of this respectable paper. I cannot find words to express my deep sorrow for your departure. The success of the MEO is not a common and infinite word, but it is the outcome of multiple facts complementing each other, foremost the faith, trust and working for its realization. During my employment, I was keen to exert strenuous efforts to accomplish various duties and assignments under your guidance and direction, going ahead with the newspaper from one success to another.
Dear friend,
You will never be forgotten, your light will always shine, so rest in peace my dear. Our hearts still ache with sadness and many tears still flow. We held you close within our hearts, and there you will remain and will be with us throughout our lives, until we meet again. Remembering you is easy, I do it everyday, but missing you is a heartache that never goes away. Those we love don’t go away; they walk beside us everyday, unseen, unheard, but always near. May God rest your soul, let your soul fly free, as one day we will meet again.
Maher Iskarous
Senior Editor
