Dr. Manal Awad was appointed Egypt’s Minister of Local Development in July 2024, becoming the first woman to hold the post, before her portfolio expanded to Minister of Local Development and Environment in February 2026. Under her leadership, the ministry has accelerated green decentralisation, presenting a landmark green economic growth plan to Parliament in April 2026 and approving a national infrastructure upgrade for Egypt’s natural reserves in July 2026. Awad is currently driving digital transformation through a new Environmental Impact Assessment platform launched in September 2026, while enforcing strict urban preservation directives to prohibit unauthorised tree cutting across governorates.