After graduating with a PhD in Economics from the University of Georgia, USA, Dr Anani assumed high level positions in the Government. From the position of Head of Economic Research, he became the Deputy Minister of Labor where he was instrumental in changing labor laws, introducing and successfully defending the creation of the Social Security Corporation and promoting the apprenticeship training corporation in Jordan. In 1979, he became a Cabinet Minister of Supply, and assumed many positions including Minister of National Economy and Labor. After a brief stay at the private sector where he established three companies, Dr Anani was appointed President of the Royal Scientific Society, where he founded the Jordan Technology Group and put forward the plans for promoting the Princess Sumayya College to a full university.
In 1993, Dr Anani was appointed to the Management Committee of the ailing Petra Bank, where he managed along with the other members of the Committee, to cut the initial losses by 60 percent. In the same year, he became the Minister of Information and the coordinator of the peace process with Israel. He was then appointed as a senate member, a position which he kept until 2001.
Dr Anani became the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Foreign Minister in 1997. The following year, he was promoted to the Chief of the Royal Court, and was the last one to serve under the late King Hussein. In 2000, he resigned after a brief service under King Abdullah II.
Since, 2002, he has been running the Al Baseera Consultancy firm in Dubai Media City. Dr Anani has published 4 books and coauthored a book on the peace process to be published in the UK and USA. He has written many scientific articles in the English and Arabic language.
During his career, Dr Anani chaired more than twenty quasi-governments, civil society and private sector organisations, including the Electricity Authority, Consumer Corporation, Social Security Corporation, Jordan – Gulf Bank, Amman Bank, Cement Production Corporation, Telecommunications Corporation. He championed and led the privatisation drive in Jordan and personally supervised the privatisation of Royal Jordanian Airlines, Telecommunications and the Cement factory.
Dr Anani was the driver behind governance in both private and public corporations in Jordan. He was commissioned by the UNDP to do a study on Bangladesh. He also authored a book with Dr Reema Khalof on privatisation and governance. While consulting in the Gulf Region, he made several studies for private clients on corporatisation of family businesses and ensuring the adoption of governance principles in such firms.