Cairo, February 16, 2026
The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights (ECWR) expresses its strong reservations regarding the results of the new governors’ reshuffle announced just hours ago, which included extensive changes in 20 governorates. ECWR considers the reshuffle disappointing, as women’s representation in the new appointments was limited to only one woman among the 20 governors affected by the changes—amounting to a mere 5% of the total new appointments. This comes in clear disregard of both international and local evidence linking women’s representation in decision-making positions to higher economic growth rates and improved governance.
At the level of the Governor position, the final composition revealed the presence of only two women in leadership seats out of a total of 27 governorates. The reshuffle saw one new appointment, Mrs. Hanan Magdy Nour El-Din Mohamed, as Governor of the New Valley, while confidence was renewed in Dr. Jacqueline Azir as Governor of Beheira (who has held the position since the July 2024 reshuffle). Consequently, although the overall percentage of women’s representation in the position of Governor has reached 7.4%, the share of female competencies in the “new appointments” of this specific reshuffle was limited to only one seat. This indicates that the pace of promoting new female leaders to gubernatorial positions remains limited and does not commensurate with the scale of the broad changes witnessed in the recent formation.
At the level of deputy governor, the new formation included the appointment of new deputy governors in 12 governorates, yet only one woman was among them. This further narrows opportunities to build a pipeline of young female leaders capable of heading local administrations in the future.
Nehad Aboelkomsan, ECWR’s chairwoman, stated “The continued token representation of women in leadership positions constitutes a violation of the Constitution, particularly Article 11, which stipulates ‘appropriate representation’ in elected councils, public positions, and senior management. The presence of only two women among 27 governors does not meet the standard of ‘appropriate representation’ guaranteed by the Constitution.”
She added that this gap stands in sharp contradiction to international reports. According to World Bank estimates, if women’s labor force participation rates in Egypt were to reach the same levels as men’s, the country’s GDP would increase by 34%. Nevertheless, women remain underrepresented at all levels of the career ladder, with the widest gap found in senior leadership positions.
Accordingly, ECWR calls for a “minimum of 30%” by adopting a clear policy to appoint women to executive positions in the governorates at no less than 30%, in line with constitutional provisions guaranteeing equal opportunity and appropriate representation for women, as well as Egypt’s international commitments affirming that women’s effective participation in decision-making is an economic imperative.
ECWR stresses that the continuation of this pattern in local administration undermines women’s confidence in the State’s institutions and deprives governorates of experienced and capable female leaders who are able to drive change. Empowering women in decision-making positions is not merely a “grant,” but a national investment mandated by economic necessity and good governance.
