Egypt has named its first female tourism minister as part of a cabinet reshuffle.
Rania Al-Mashat is one of six women to occupy ministerial roles in Cairo, the highest proportion ever.
Al-Mashat previously served as a senior economic adviser to the International Monetary Fund and as deputy governor of the Central Bank of Egypt.
She was the youngest person ever to hold such a position in both organisations.
She is credited with making a significant contribution to modernising Egypt’s monetary policy, particularly during the governmental reform programme post-2011.
Al-Mashat replacing Yahya Rashid, who took over the post from Hisham Zaazou in March 2016.
The new minister is expected to capitalise on renewed and growing interest in Egypt by implementing a “coherent strategy” of policy-making.
She will manage co-operation with investors, placing a focus on marketing, as well as the training and development of employees in the tourism sector.
The first appointments with investors have already taken place.