AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK DIRECTOR ONE OF EGYPT’S 50 TOP WOMEN

THE DIRECTOR of macroeconomic policy, forecasting and research at the African Development Bank (AfDB), Hanan Morsy, has been included in the list of Egypt’s 50 most influential women. Morsy said she was “honoured” to receive the accolade. “This award validates the crucial role of women in contributing to the Egyptian economy and the continent as a whole,” said Morsy. She said she hoped the award would inspire other women to make their voices heard regarding Africa’s economic progress. “I look forward to contributing to the body of knowledge that unravels the issues confronting the everyday lives of Africans – women and young people in particular. My goal is to offer solutions that will help the continent realise its enormous potential, and I encourage others to do the same,” she said. The AfDB said Morsy had brought a wealth of international experience to the organisation and had an “outstanding track record” of top-quality policy analysis and research, a wealth of cross-country experience and high-level policy dialogue and partnership. A macroeconomics and public policy expert, Morsy’s commentary has been published on platforms such as the Financial Times, Project Syndicate, and Forbes. She recently led the production of the AfDB’s flagship African Economic Outlook 2020, which focused on preparing Africa’s workforce for the future. In the outlook, she provided evidence-based recommendations on enhancing skills and education, mobilising additional resources to address the education financing gap, and ways of enhancing spending efficiencies. Senior vice-president of the AfDB, Charles Boamah, said that empowering women was critical for unleashing Africa’s full economic potential, and that the bank was “very proud” of Morsy. Morsy worked at the International Monetary Fund between 2003 and 2012 in various divisions, including fiscal affairs. | African News Agency (ANA)