Egypt appoints first female governor

Nadia Saleh, former deputy governor of Beheira province, has been named among President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's new intake of cabinet ministers and governors.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab

17 February, 2017

Nadia Saleh's appoint breaks with the convention of appointing ex-army or police officials [AFP]

Egypt swore in nine new ministers and five new governors on Thursday, including the country's first female governor.

Nadia Saleh, who has served as deputy governor of the Nidle Delta province of Beheira 2013, was sworn in as the province's governor by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Saleh's appointment breaks with a long tradition in Egypt of selecting former police or army officials as governors, particularly for provinces with international borders.

The cabinet reshuffle follows news that Prime Minister Sherif Ismail was struggling to attract potential candidates for his cabinet from lucrative private sector jobs.

The new ministers joining Egypt's government will oversee agriculture, parliamentary affairs, investment and international cooperation, trade, local development, planning, education, higher education and transport.

Due to the countries struggling finances, several ministerial portfolios were also merged as part of the reshuffle.

Last year, Egypt introduced a package of economic reforms in order to secure a $12 billion IMF loan. These reforms, which includes various austerity measures, have sparked a steep rise in the prices of basic goods and commodities in Egypt.