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Mohammed Abdulmohsin Al-Kharafi & Sons
Mohannad Al-Kharafi runs the family's multi-continent industrial and real-asset group, which ranked 119th on ENR's 2023 Top 250 International Contractors.
Mohammed Abdulmohsin Al-Kharafi & Sons
Mohammed Abdulmohsin Al-Kharafi founded the namesake firm in 1956, laying a foundation that the late Nasser Al-Kharafi would transform into one of the Middle East's most geographically dispersed industrial groups. The family's wealth traces directly to large-scale construction, infrastructure concessions, and cross-border trading operations cultivated over three generations. Today the group operates from a Kuwait City headquarters while maintaining project offices in 10 countries, with Vice Chairman Mohannad Al-Kharafi directing investment decisions across the portfolio. Al-Kharafi allocates capital through direct project development, operating subsidiaries, and strategic partnerships rather than fund commitments. The construction arm delivers civic and commercial megaprojects — confirmed builds include the Central Bank of Kuwait and New Jahra Hospital — while a separate public-markets vehicle, Al Khair National for Stocks and Real Estate, manages listed-equity exposure. The family holds concession-style infrastructure assets including Marsa Alam International Airport and the Port Ghalib Resort in Egypt, and operates agricultural and trading outposts in Senegal, Gambia, and Tanzania. Sector coverage spans water, mobility, agriculture, and energy transition, with a disciplined on-balance-sheet posture that avoids external LP structures. ENR's 2023 Top 250 International Contractors placed the firm at rank 119, measuring output against global construction peers. The group's operational footprint runs from Kuwait through the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Lebanon into a dense African corridor: Egypt, Senegal, Gambia, Djibouti, and Tanzania. The family's aviation assets include an Embraer Lineage 1000 and a Gulfstream G550. A dedicated family foundation, the Jassim & Nasser Al-Kharafi Foundation, channels philanthropic activity separately from the commercial balance sheet. What distinguishes the Al-Kharafi structure is its refusal to separate the operating company from the family office. Most family offices with construction-origin wealth eventually ring-fence the contracting business as a legacy asset while professionalizing a distinct investment platform. Al-Kharafi keeps both functions integrated — the project teams in Dakar and Dar-es-Salaam report into the same group as the equities desk and the real-estate arm, and the family's principals operate without the intermediation of a hired CIO class.
General information
Firm type
Single Family Office
Year founded
1956
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Asia
Country
Kuwait
City
Safat
Corporate office
Kharafi Towers, 4th Floor, Qibla, Kuwait City, PO Box 886, 13009 Safat, Kuwait
Additional offices
Dubai, UAE · Abu Dhabi, UAE · Riyadh, Saudi Arabia · Manama, Bahrain · Beirut, Lebanon · Cairo, Egypt · Dakar, Senegal · Djibouti City, Djibouti · Banjul, Gambia · Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
Principals
Mohannad Al-Kharafi
Vice Chairman
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Mohammed Abdulmohsin Al-Kharafi & Sons?
Vice Chairman Mohannad Al-Kharafi is identified as the key decision maker for the family's investment posture, overseeing a portfolio that spans direct projects, real estate, and public-market holdings. The firm does not publish a discrete investment committee roster; operational and capital-allocation authority sits with family principals rather than external managers.
Is the firm structured as a single family office or an operating conglomerate?
It operates as both simultaneously. The contracting and construction arm bids on major infrastructure projects globally, while Al Khair National for Stocks and Real Estate functions as the family's dedicated public-markets and property vehicle. Unlike peers who separate operating businesses from the family office, Al-Kharafi keeps project teams, equities, and real estate under unified family direction.
Does Al-Kharafi invest in funds or only direct deals?
Available research points overwhelmingly to direct investment — construction contracts, concession-style infrastructure, and operating subsidiaries — alongside the in-house listed-equities vehicle. There is no public evidence of external fund commitments or allocations to third-party GPs.
Which geographies does the firm actively deploy capital in?
The group maintains registered offices and project operations in Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Lebanon, Egypt, Senegal, Gambia, Djibouti, and Tanzania. The African corridor — particularly Senegal and Gambia — represents a multi-decade commitment that sets it apart from most Gulf-based family offices.
How does Al-Kharafi manage its public-market holdings?
Public-equity exposure flows through Al Khair National for Stocks and Real Estate, a dedicated vehicle that handles listed investments and real estate alongside the broader group. The firm does not disclose portfolio composition or benchmarks publicly.
What role does philanthropy play in the family's structure?
The Jassim & Nasser Al-Kharafi Foundation manages charitable activity on behalf of the family, separate from the commercial operations. No additional details on grant-making focus or scale are disclosed publicly.
Does the firm participate in co-investment clubs or external networks?
The group maintains membership in the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a professional network signaling local business community engagement. There is no known participation in global family-office co-investment platforms or deal-sharing clubs.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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