Cairo, March 7, 2018 - The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) and the National Council for Women (NCW) on Wednesday launched the "Women Leading the Future"programme in Cairo, in order to engage more women leaders in various institutional sectors. The programme is the first joint effort by the government sector represented by the CBE and the NCW, and the private sector represented by the Ahli United Bank.The programme was launched to mark International Women's Day on Thursday. Maya Morsy, the Chairman of the NCW, said the CBE had set a clear policy that supports female household leadersliving in poor conditions, who make up a large segment of Egyptian society. "The CBE's policy for gender equality is being implemented according to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the CBE and National Council for Women," Morsy said. She said, "I hope that in 2018 there will be more women occupying positions in the banking sector and taking up ministerial posts." The ceremony was attended by ambassador Moshira Khatab, former Minister of Family and Population, Lobna Helal, the Deputy Governor of the CBE and Nevine el-Meseiry, the CEO of the Ahli United Bank. Helal said that the there is a big political belief in women power who are able to make a change, noting that we have to shed light on their successful stories. "I hope in 2019 there will be training programmes for women young leaders to offer more opportunities for the coming generations," Helal added. The year 2017 was the start of the real engagement of women in the political and business scene, as 30 per cent of women gained parliamentary seats. In addition, Engineer Nadia Abdo was appointed first-ever governor (Beheira Governorate); while Lobna Helal was appointed the deputy governor of the CBE.
