Khaberni - The President of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council issued, on Thursday, a republican decree appointing Afrah Al-Zouba as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs, becoming the first woman to hold this position in the history of Yemen.
This decision came as part of a limited cabinet reshuffle in Shaia Al-Zindani's government, which also included the appointment of Badr Basalama as Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, and Ahed Jasous as Minister of Local Administration.
Afrah Al-Zouba takes over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs, succeeding the Prime Minister who retained the foreign affairs portfolio, having previously held the position of Minister of Planning and International Cooperation in the new government formation that witnessed the first return of women to the cabinet since 2015.
Dr. Ahed Jasous was also appointed as the Minister of Local Administration, succeeding Engineer Badr Basalama, who was appointed Minister of Planning and International Cooperation.
Who is Afrah Al-Zouba?
Afrah Al-Zouba joined the new Yemeni government formed in February (February) last year as Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, becoming the first Yemeni woman to assume the portfolio, before being appointed on Thursday as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs.
Al-Zouba has over 25 years of leadership and strategic experience in the fields of public administration, institutional governance, and economic development, making her one of the prominent Yemeni experts in international cooperation files and building partnerships with donor entities.
During her career, she held the position of Executive Director of the Executive Device for Accelerating the Absorption of Donors' Commitments and Support for the Implementation of Reform Policies, where she managed high-level coordination operations between the Yemeni government and international partners, including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Saudi Program for Development and Reconstruction of Yemen, and led a package of institutional and sectoral reform projects.
Nationally, her role was prominent during the transitional phase through her position as Deputy Secretary-General of the Comprehensive National Dialogue Conference and her membership in the committee drafting the constitution, where she managed files of international cooperation, technical support, and community communication.
She also served as an advisor to the Prime Minister for Humanitarian Relief and Development Programs, and represented Yemen in a number of international forums, in addition to her experience in governance and democracy while working with the United States Agency for International Development, and her participation in poverty reduction programs and local community development, especially in the sectors of education and health.
Al-Zouba holds a master's degree in business administration from the University of Science and Technology in Sanaa, and a master's in community health and health economics from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, in addition to a bachelor's degree in pharmacy from the University of Sanaa.
