Nadia Abdou was last week sworn in as Egypt's first-ever female governor, breaking the stranglehold men have historically had over such positions. Abdou was appointed by President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi as Beheira governor as part of a partial cabinet reshuffle which included five governors and nine ministers. “Appointing a female governor was expected from President Al-Sisi when he announced that 2017 would be the year of the woman,” stated Abdou, who added that she was surprised by her appointment. “I believe there is still a lot to be announced by the president in favour of women.” Abdou, who graduated from Alexandria University's Faculty of Engineering Chemistry in 1968, has a Master's degree in environmental health and safety. The newly appointed female governor is a mother of two sons who graduated from the same faculty. Abdou was named deputy governor of Beheira in 2013 by the then-governor, making significant progress in the development of the governorate. She was described by residents as the “Iron Woman” the way Margaret Thatcher was the “Iron Lady”. According to Abdou's biography published on Beheira's official website, Abdou has scientific experience in potable water and was chair of the Alexandria Sanitation and Drinking Water Company from 2002 to 2012. Abdou has been a member of the board of the General Assembly of the Institut Méditerranéen de l'Eau in France since 1987. She founded the Arab Countries Water Utilities Association and is a member of the general assembly of the World Water Council. She is a member of the Alexandria Business Association and the rapporteur of the National Council for Women (NCW) in Alexandria. Abdou began her political career as a member of the National Democratic Party (NDP) which was dismantled after the 2011 revolution. She won a seat in parliament in 2010 and also won the Mohamed Ben Rashed Al-Maktoum Award for Inspirational Women. According to Abdou, Beheira residents, mostly rural people, never brought up her gender when she was deputy governor. “I don't think they will do so now as they know me very well, however, when I became deputy governor I was not welcomed by many officials from the governorate as well as the people because I was a member of the NDP. But during the era of former president Hosni Mubarak most Egyptians were members of the NDP,” she argued. “I challenge anyone to accuse me of committing anything illegal or of being corrupt. After serving for three years as deputy governor of Beheira, people started to know me better and I believe they respect me and welcome me as their governor.” Abdou intends to turn Rosetta into an international touristic city. She also plans to build a 400-feddan industrial city to house service projects, including hospitals and universities as well as residential projects on 300 feddans. “My work as deputy governor for three years has helped me understand the people here in Beheira.” The new governor believes her long experience as head of Alexandria Water Company, where she was dealing with employees and customers in the millions, will help her with her new post. “My previous technical experience and professional skills which I gained throughout the past 10 years will help me a lot to properly perform in my new post,” she said. As Beheira governor, Abdou faces plenty of challenges: establishing proper sanitation and waste disposal services and ending illegal building of residential and commercial structures on agricultural land, a practice which has increased alarmingly in the governorate over the past few years. Abdou also intends to establish three garbage recycling projects in Beheira. Reforming the health sector will require her immediate attention. “This will include visiting multiple hospitals and health units, making sure there is no shortage of doctors and nurses, and improving the quality of healthcare,” stated Abdou. Maya Morsi, head of the NCW, said that although there are still many women who deserve recognition at senior government posts, this shows there are no more concerns about empowering women in Egypt. “It is evident that the political leadership has chosen the correct path by supporting successful female leaders and appointing them to effective and important positions in the government based on their qualifications and achievements,” said Morsi.
