CAIRO: Hekmat Abou Zeid, the first-ever female Egyptian minister died Saturday night in a Cairo hospital after struggling with illness for months. Abou Zeid was 92. Abou Zeid was minister of social affairs and was appointed by the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser, to become the first female minister in the country and the second in the region. She spearheaded major social and developmental projects that remain iconic even today such as the “productive families” project and the “country side female leaders” initiative. Born in Upper Egypt to a railway supervisor and a housewife, Abou Zeid was a social activist from an early age. She was suspended from high school for her political views and had to transfer to a school in Alexandria. She later obtained a bachelor's degree in humanities in 1940 from Fouad al-Awal University, currently Cairo University, and a higher diploma in education in 1942. Then in 1949, she obtained her Master's degree from a Scottish university. She went on to earn her PhD from London College in 1955. President Nasser issued a presidential decree to appoint her minister of social affairs in the early 1960s where she became an iconic figure in development work in the country. She returned to teaching after Nasser died, only to face difficulties over her opinions during the President Anwar al-Sadat era. Reportedly, Abou Zeid opposed the peace treaty with Israel, much like many from the Nasser era, and was forced to leave the country for a number of years before returning in 1991. Abou Zeid will be remembered for her great success in development projects across Egypt's Nile Delta region and her long history with social work through a vital time in Egypt's history. Her funeral is to be held Monday at al-Hamdiya al-Shazleya mosque in Giza. BM
