The government has extended the appointment of Dr Ahmad Kaikaus, principal secretary to the Prime Minister, for the next two years.

The Public Administration Ministry issued a notification in this regard on Thursday.

On December 29, 2019, the government appointed Dr Kaikaus as the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister.

Dr Kaikaus, who has various notable achievements during his illustrious career, has been appointed as the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister.

Dr Kaikaus, who had served as senior secretary to the Power Division, replaced Md Nojibur Rahman. He joined the Power Division as Secretary-in-Charge on December 15, 2016 and took over as Secretary on February 23, 2017.

Before his Power Division stint, Kaikaus served as the Deputy Chief of Party of the Policy Research and Strategy Support Program at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) for three years. The programme was funded by the USAID.

Hailing from Suchakradondi village in Patiya Upazila of Chattogram district, Dr Kaikaus completed his postgraduate in Economics from Chittagong University in 1984.

Nephew of renowned educationist and thinker Dr Ahmed Sharif, Dr Kaikaus has MA degree in Development Economics from the Center for Development Economics, Williams College, Massachusetts, and PhD in Public Policy and Political Economy from the University of Texas.

Dr Kaikaus also has research papers published in various journals. One of the significant articles was published in the World Development Journal on structural transformation in Bangladesh economy.

He is also researching on cluster-based economic transformation, fish value chain, rural non-farm economy and public expenditure for economic development.

After joining the civil service in 1986, Dr Kaikaus worked at different levels of the field administration, and also on deputation in several organisations.

At the ministerial level, Dr Kaikaus worked for the Ministry of Public Administration, Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, Economic Relations Division, Additional Secretary, Power Division and Chairman Bangladesh Energy and Power Research Council (EPRC).

Son of Ahmad Kaikobad, Dr Kaikaus also worked as a part-time faculty at Collin County Community College in Texas and the American International University, Bangladesh.

He regularly attends as a guest speaker at the Public Administration Training Centre, Bangladesh Civil Service Academy, and Dhaka University.

Dr Kaikaus' grandfather Abdul Mazid was also a prominent researcher of 'Puithi' (folk literature). Abdul Mazid was the elder brother of famous litterateur and historian Munshi Abdul Karim, popularly known as Abdul Karim Sahitya Bisharad.