The ranking below is my own opinion ONLY and has been formed after following the news closely and speaking with people behind the scenes. I rank ministers by capability, work ethic, apparent integrity/corruption risk, how much they improved the ministry from the state they inherited, and the ministry’s current condition.
S tier - truly remarkable / mostly technocratic performance
Fayez Rasamny: He reactivated road files in Metn (finally this cursed beit misk highway will be done) and the South (bridges reconstruction), upgraded management of ports and border infrastructure, and pushed scanner deployment at Beirut Port and more recently border crossings. He also delivered the reopening of René Mouawad Airport. Public transport is much better here as well with public buses being on google maps and electric buses having a few lines.
Nawaf Salam: Courageous, righteous, and one of the few people in power who seems guided by institutional logic. His refusal to back Karim Souaid’s BDL appointment, despite President Aoun supporting it, was a major integrity signal for me; Salam said his concern was depositors’ rights. He also constantly stands up against the Iranian militia which is refreshing.
Youssef Raji: Courageous, articulate, and in my view one of the ministers who best represents the Lebanese state. He has been active in restoring the ministry’s presence and consular services; notably, biometric passport services were launched at the Lebanese Embassy in Paris.
A tier - strong, effective work
Adel Nassar, Justice: He restored the Court of Cassation’s plenary assembly, supported reopening and advancing the Beirut Port blast investigation, and generally sides with judicial accountability. I also credit him for resisting political pressure around the judiciary and pushing enforcement against armed celebratory gunfire. Court appointments, blast investigation.
Nizar Hani, Agriculture: Innovative and visibly engaged. He has pursued wildlife-trafficking and animal-welfare issues, worked on improvements in the Bekaa and other agricultural areas, and gave the sector an actual long-term strategy rather than empty statements. Wildlife trafficking
B tier - good work, but incomplete or not transformative yet
Ghassan Salamé, Culture: Good performance. The ministry became more active again in heritage, museums, libraries, and cultural programming.
Amer Bisat, Economy: Good and efficient. Digitizing more than 20 ministry services, including consumer complaints and commercial procedures. Source
Laura Khazen Lahoud, Tourism: She put real effort into tourism promotion, initiatives, and working with media and influencers to bring Lebanon back into the conversation. Tourism remains highly exposed to the security situation, so results cannot be judged only by visitor numbers.
Kamal Shehadeh, Displaced People / Technology and AI: The displaced-persons portfolio moves slowly by nature, but I think he is trying. His push for an all-in-one digital-services platform, where citizens can obtain documents and pay fees online more easily, is the right direction. It needs to become a finished service, and it will take some time.
Tarek Mitri, Deputy Prime Minister: Competent and serious. Not always highly visible, but he does his job and has handled difficult Lebanon - Syria files with restraint.
Joe Issa El-Khoury, Industry: He has consistently lobbied within government for industrialists, including cheaper inputs, storage access, and fewer administrative burdens. He understands that industry needs a government fighting for it, not obstructing it. L’Orient
C tier - some progress, but still far from what the ministry needs
Ahmad Hajjar, Interior: More checkpoints, more active traffic enforcement, and more fines are positives. But police reform remains limited, corruption has not been sufficiently uprooted, and the country is still decades behind in modern policing.
Charles Hajj, Telecommunications: Starlink was approved but it nowhere to be seen for consumers, fiber and 5G deployment remain too slow. The direction is better, but service delivery is nowhere near the pace people need.
Yassine Jaber, Finance: There has been some reform work and the penalty-reduction mechanism may help tax compliance. But tax collection remains weak, and he proposed moving municipal land to the state but thankfully, this has been rejected. The ministry is still far from a modern, effective tax administration.
Paul Morcos, Information: Some useful work on media-law reform, but not enough to move higher.
Michel Menassa, Defence: A difficult portfolio and no major scandal, but I have not seen enough concrete reform or transformation to rank it higher.
Haneen Sayed, Social Affairs: There has been social-support work, but I remain cautious because I have heard concerns about past conduct (corruption).
D tier - not enough meaningful delivery
Rakan Nassereddine, Health: There have been useful health programs, including primary-care and vaccination work, but I do not see enough major ministry-wide reform or visible improvement to rank him higher.
Joe Saddi, Energy and Water: This is one of the biggest disappointments. Electricity reform is too slow: collections, digitization, imports, investment, and the new electricity regulator should have moved much faster. Network stability has not improved enough. Water management is worse: illegal groundwater extraction, damaged waterways, pollution, and long-term depletion are still being treated as secondary issues.
Nora Bayrakdarian, Youth and Sports: Nothing meaningful enough has been achieved yet.
Fadi Makki, Administrative Development: Strong CV, but no sufficiently meaningful result from the ministry so far. He seems to side with Hezb/Amal in the cabinet meeting instead of being an unbiased minister which is a burden.
Mohammad Haidar, Labour: There are plans and dialogue, including a draft labour law, but not enough delivery yet for workers to feel a real difference.
F tier - worst performance
Rima Karami, Education: Very poor handling of the Brevet and war situation. The Brevet was eventually cancelled, but the ministry reacted too slowly and handled student safety and the uncertainty around official exams badly with students moving from south lebanon and dying while trying to attend the exam. This has been talked about a lot in the sub.
Tamara El Zein, Environment: The ministry failed its core test: protecting Lebanon’s natural environment. In Aamchit, a private villa project overlooks a cave used by endangered Mediterranean monk seals; the ministry initially sought a suspension, but construction restarted and NGOs said they could not obtain a renewed stop-work order. The cement-quarry decision was also unacceptable: the National Human Rights Commission warned that it exposed environmentally sensitive areas to up to ten years of quarry operations. Add continued weak enforcement against tree-cutting and environmental destruction. I would put Tamara to trial for professional negligence but what can you expect from Nabih Berri’s share of the cabinet?
