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First female governor in Egypt cabinet reshuffle

February 17, 2017 at 1:47 pm

Egypt has sworn in nine new cabinet ministers yesterday and five new governors, including the country’s first female governor.

Nadia Saleh had previously served as governor of the Nile Delta province of Beheira where she was sworn in by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in 2013. Saleh will be the first woman to serve as a governor in Egypt which is a role traditionally given to retired military or police officials.

The ministers will join the new government and will oversee agriculture, local development, investment and international cooperation, parliamentary affairs, trade, planning, education and transport.

Read: Egypt approves limited cabinet reshuffle

The cabinet reshuffle yesterday follows weeks of discussions with Prime Minister Sharif Ismail reportedly facing difficulty in finding candidates willing to leave lucrative private sector jobs to serve in his cabinet.

The reshuffle has also included merging several portfolios as Egypt struggles with an ongoing economic crisis since 2011’s popular uprising.

Also read: Egyptians sacrifice savings to cope with rising prices, expert says

Economic reforms introduced last year to secure a $12 billion IMF loan has caused a steep rise in the price of basic and key commodities for struggling Egyptians.