Egypt’s first-ever female governor marches to a different drummer
In a move that broke with a long-standing tradition of appointing retired military or police officers as governors, Nadia Abdu was named governor of Egypt's Beheira governorate.
Last week, Egypt appointed the country’s first-ever female governor — a post traditionally given to retired military or police officers.
With the Feb. 16 reshuffle of governors, engineer Nadia Abdu, 73, became the first woman in Egypt's history to hold such a leading post. Abdu was named governor for the Nile Delta governorate of Beheira.
“The appointment is an affirmation of the state’s belief that women are capable of taking over leading positions in the country as well as an appreciation of their role in contributing to Egypt’s progress,” Abdu told Al-Monitor.
Abdu is the first woman to hold the post of deputy governor and the first woman to hold the post of chairperson of the national water company in Alexandria.
