Ghani is the youngest of three brothers and hails from the ethnic Pashtun from the Ahmadzai tribe of the Kochi Ghilji, as a child in Kabul, his family often traveled to their native Logar province, where they maintained close tribal ties.

Throughout the course of that election, Ghani remained politically neutral, preferring instead to comment on what he thought the leading candidates, several of whom he knew personally, should prioritize in their eventual administrations.

Though he says his brother had to leave to escape a potential assassination attempt, the younger Ghani said he had to stay to help his tribe and the people of Afghanistan in general at a time of great need.

Throughout the day Al Jazeera spent with him, Ghani held face-to-face meetings with entrepreneurs and former government officials to encourage them not to give up on the country and to rise to the occasion.

He has appeared on international outlets like the BBC, Al Jazeera English, Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and Deutsche Welle.

He has also been a strong proponent of talented, educated young Afghans returning from abroad, but always insists that they keep the local languages, culture and traditions in mind.