_edi.png)
Executive Management
He also co-founded and served as General Manager of Nubian Mining Company in Egypt, an Egyptian national mining company focused on gold and precious metals. Under his leadership, the company was awarded a Direct Exploitation Grant covering 15 km 2 and a large-scale exploration agreement covering 666 km2, marking a significant milestone in Egypt’s modern mining sector.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Hani founded, led, and held executive roles in multiple mining and investment companies. These included Cresset International Limited in the United States, which held a concession in Egypt’s Eastern Desert for a gold mine that is now in production, and the Integrated Group for African Investment in Sudan, which managed a gold concession under a formal mining agreement.
In addition to his mining background, he was engaged for nearly a decade in oil-related infrastructure, refinery, and power plant projects, providing him with broad exposure to large-scale industrial and energy developments.
Hani Al Asmar
Chief Executive Officer
Hani Al Asmar is a mining executive and entrepreneur with more than three decades of experience in the minerals, precious metals, and energy sectors across the Middle East and Africa. He is a co-founder and serves as Chief Executive Officer of Wadi Araba Minerals Company, where he provides strategic leadership, corporate governance, and oversight of the company’s copper and gold portfolio.
At Wadi Araba Minerals, Hani leads the company’s overall vision and business strategy, guiding projects across exploration and development stages. He has been instrumental in securing and executing the Executive Agreements with the Jordanian Government to advance the Definitive Feasibility Study for copper at Abu Khusheiba Project, while overseeing stakeholder relations, regulatory engagement, and strategic planning to position the company for long-term growth.
Matouq H. Al Asmar
Chief Technical Manager
Matouq H. Al Asmar is a geologist and mineral exploration executive with more than a decade of experience across the Middle East and North Africa, specializing in copper and gold exploration, resource development, and feasibility stage projects. He is a co-founder and serves as Chief Technical Manager of Wadi Araba Minerals Company, where he leads the company’s technical strategy, exploration programs, and government engagements.
At Wadi Araba Minerals, Matouq oversees copper and gold projects from early-stage exploration through feasibility studies. His responsibilities include designing and approving exploration work programs, leading multidisciplinary technical teams, evaluating contractors, and making critical technical decisions based on exploration outcomes, while acting as the primary technical interface with government and private stakeholders.
Matouq led comprehensive exploration campaigns for Abu Khusheiba gold and copper projects, including geological mapping, trenching, drilling, sampling, interpretation, and reporting. He overlooked resource estimation studies using geological and block models until the successful delivery of a JORC-compliant Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) study approved by Jordan’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.
Earlier in his career, Matouq was a co-founder and Head of the Technical Department at Nubian Mining Company in Egypt, contributing to national mining initiatives through the preparation of competitive bidding documents, technical submissions, executive reports, and detailed exploration work plans in coordination with international consultants and regulatory authorities. In parallel, he conducted independent regional studies across the Arabian-Nubian Shield, identifying and ranking high-potential copper and gold prospects.
Matouq holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology and Petroleum Studies from the American University of Beirut. He is proficient in industry-standard geological and GIS software and is an Associate Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM).
Raed Yaghnam
Chief Financial Officer
Raed T.C. Yaghnam is an entrepreneur with over than 35 years of executive leadership and board-level experience across multiple industries and geographies. In April 2008, he founded Wasita Group (www.wasitagroup.com), where he served as its Vice Chairman and CEO. Following rapid growth and significant market penetration, WES was acquired by Renaissance Services SAOG in late 2010. The business was subsequently reacquired by Raed and Qatar First Bank in 2012, and in 2018 the group became fully owned by Raed and his family. Raed continues to serve as Chairman and Group CEO.
Wasita Group is a leading provider of total life support services, including logistics, facilities management, and industrial contractual catering, with operations across Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, and Iraq.
Through his investment vehicle, Raed has invested in several ventures including Wadi Araba Minerals L.L.C., Genome for Research and Development L.L.C., Family Office for Management Consultancy L.L.C., Industrial Rocks and Minerals L.L.C., SWP Holdings L.L.C.-FZ, Kidz Holding, Mammoth Investments L.L.C. and Kidzmondo, Ycrave Ventures L.L.C.-FZ.
Earlier in his career, Raed established Support Service and Catering L.L.C (SSC) in Abu Dhabi. SSC was a joint venture between Al Wasita for Support Services – Jordan and International Golden Group (IGG), where he served as Managing Director and Board Member until the company was acquired in early 2008.
Raed has also founded and led several successful private businesses in Jordan, including Elite Group for Medical Equipment and Investments L.L.C, a medical equipment sales and maintenance company. In addition, he has served on the Board of The Modern Flour Mills and Macaroni Factories, a producer of pasta, breakfast cereals, snacks, and wheat flour, and as Chairman for Medical Equipment and Investments.
Raed Currently serves on the boards of Wadi Araba Minerals L.L.C., Wasita for Support Services L.L.C. and Elite Group for Medical Equipment and Investments.
Raed T.C. Yaghnam holds a Bachelors of Science in Political Science, and a Bachelors of Arts in Business Administration from Kalamazoo College, Michigan, USA.
Khalid Salim
Senior Mine Engineer
Eng. Khalid Salim is a seasoned Project Engineer and Coordinator with more than 20 years of experience in mining engineering, mineral resource estimation, and geological exploration across the Middle East and North Africa. He brings a strong blend of technical expertise with leadership, with a proven track record in project planning, mineral reserve estimation, and open-pit mining operations.
Throughout his career, Eng. Khalid’s has held senior technical and managerial roles in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt, leading exploration programs, drilling operations, and comprehensive desktop studies for a wide range of commodities, including gold, copper, gypsum, phosphate, and limestone. His accomplishments include leading mineral reserve estimations and mining planning for major quarry operations in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, completing more than 40 technical studies on industrial minerals, and directing exploration and resource evaluation projects for multinational mining companies.
In parallel with his industry career, Eng. Khalid contributes to academia as an Instructor at the Faculty of Petroleum and Mining Engineering, where he actively mentors and trains future mining professionals. His technical expertise spans geostatistical analysis, GIS, geologic modeling, mineral processing, and project management, supported by advanced proficiency in leading industry software such as Leapfrog Geo, Surpac, Datamine, ArcGIS Pro, and AutoCAD Civil 3D.
Eng. Khalid holds a BSc. in Mining Engineering from Cairo University and is currently pursuing an MSc. in Mineral Resource Estimation and Evaluation at Suez University. His professional development includes specialized training with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), SRK Consulting, and Bentley Seequent, underscoring his commitment to continuous learning and technical excellence.
Recognized for his strategic insight, technical depth, and cross-disciplinary expertise, Eng. Khalid is dedicated to delivering high-quality mining projects through precision, innovation, and sustainable practices.
Ahmed Yassin Afify
Senior Exploration
Ahmad Yassin is a Senior Geologist with more than nine years of experience in mineral exploration, specializing in copper and gold exploration and mining operations across Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. He has demonstrated strong expertise in the design and execution of exploration programs across diverse geological settings, encompassing surface exploration, drilling supervision, and resource evaluation.
Throughout his career, Ahmad has been involved in a broad portfolio of exploration and mining projects, including Abu Khusheiba (gold and copper), Ghor Fifa (copper and manganese), Um Zorar and Um Ghazal areas in Wadi Al-Alaqi, as well as Umm Al Tuyour area in Shalateen. His regional experience also extends to several highly prospective gold and copper belts in Saudi Arabia, including Neira, Naqmi, El Hagra, Aqiq, and Tabuk.
His professional experience includes geological mapping, surface and subsurface exploration, supervision of exploration and mining drilling in both igneous and sedimentary rock environments, core logging, sampling programs, evaluation of mineralized zones, and the preparation of technical and geological reports. In addition, he has played an active role in the digitalization, integration, and interpretation of geological and geophysical datasets to support exploration targeting and informed decision-making.
Ahmad holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Al-Azhar University, Cairo, and a Pre-Master’s degree in Minerals and Rocks from the Faculty of Science, El Menoufia University. His academic research focuses on copper mineralization of the Abu Khusheiba stratiform deposit in southwestern Jordan. He is an Associate Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), reflecting his professional standing and commitment to internationally recognized standards in mining and exploration.