Rania Al-Mashat has been a part of Egypt's government since 2018. She previously served as the Minister of International Cooperation in December 2019 and was the first female Minister of Tourism (January 2018 – December 2019). On Wednesday, she was appointed as the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation. With over 20 years of international experience, Al-Mashat has expertise in central banking, financial systems, monetary policy frameworks, international cooperation policies, sustainable development, and climate finance. Notably, she played a key role in modernizing the Central Bank of Egypt's (CBE) monetary policy strategy during her tenure as Sub-Governor for Monetary Policy (August 2005 – June 2016). This included adopting an inflation-targeting regime, a crucial aspect of the banking sector reform program launched in 2004. Additionally, Al-Mashat worked at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, D.C., serving as Advisor to the Chief Economist (August 2016 – January 2018) and as a Senior Economist (2001-2005). Her board affiliations include positions at the Egyptian Stock Exchange, the Egyptian General Authority for Free Zones and Investment, the Arab International Bank, and the Arab Investment Bank. Al-Mashat holds a PhD and MA in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park, USA, with a focus on macroeconomics, international economics, and monetary policy. She also earned her BA in Economics from the American University in Cairo (AUC).
