On Thursday, the President of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council issued a republican decree appointing Afrah Al-Zouba as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, making her the first woman to hold this position in Yemen's history.

This decision came as part of a limited cabinet reshuffle in the government of Shaye' Al-Zindani, which also included the appointment of Badr Basalmah as Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, and Ahd Jasous as Minister of Local Administration.

Afrah Al-Zouba takes over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates from the Prime Minister, who had retained the foreign affairs portfolio. She previously held the position of Minister of Planning and International Cooperation in the new government formation, which marked the first return of a woman to the cabinet since 2015.

Dr. Ahd Jasous was also appointed Minister of Local Administration, replacing Engineer Badr Basalmah, who was appointed Minister of Planning and International Cooperation.

Who is Afrah Al-Zouba?

Afrah Al-Zouba entered the new Yemeni government, formed last February, as Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, becoming the first Yemeni woman to hold that portfolio, before being appointed on Thursday as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.

Al-Zouba has over 25 years of leadership and strategic experience in public administration, institutional governance, and economic development, making her one of Yemen's foremost experts in international cooperation and building partnerships with donor entities.

Throughout her career, she served as Executive Director of the Executive Unit for Accelerating the Absorption of Donor Pledges and Supporting Reform Policy Implementation, where she managed high-level coordination between the Yemeni government and international partners, including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen, and led a series of institutional and sectoral reform projects.

At the national level, her role was prominent during the transitional period as Deputy Secretary-General of the National Dialogue Conference and a member of the Constitution Drafting Committee, where she managed files of international cooperation, technical support, and community outreach.

She also worked as an advisor to the Prime Minister on humanitarian relief and development programs, represented Yemen in several international forums, and has expertise in governance and democracy from her work with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), as well as participation in poverty reduction and local community development programs, especially in education and health.

Al-Zouba holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Science and Technology in Sana'a, a Master's in Community Health and Health Economics from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and a Bachelor's degree in Pharmacy from Sana'a University.

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