Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Official Web Site
Biography of Her Excellency Dr. Afrah Abdulaziz Al-Zouba
Her Excellency Dr. Afrah Abdulaziz Al-Zouba was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs on July 23, 2026, becoming the first woman to hold this position since the establishment of the Republic of Yemen on May 22, 1990.
Her Excellency previously served as Minister of Planning and International Cooperation in the Yemeni government formed in February 2026, making her the first Yemeni woman to assume this ministerial portfolio, prior to her appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs.
She possesses over twenty-five years of strategic leadership experience in public administration, institutional governance, economic development, and international cooperation, establishing her as one of Yemen’s prominent experts in development portfolios and partnership-building with international donors and institutions.
Throughout her distinguished career, she served as Executive Director of the Executive Bureau for the Acceleration of Donor Pledges Absorption and Support to Policy Reforms, leading high-level coordination between the Yemeni government and its international partners—most notably the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY). She also spearheaded a series of institutional and sectoral reform initiatives aimed at enhancing government performance and supporting development efforts.
At the national level, Dr. Al-Zouba played a prominent role during the transition period as Deputy Secretary-General of the Comprehensive National Dialogue Conference (NDC) and as a member of the Constitution Drafting Committee, where she managed portfolios related to international cooperation, technical assistance, and community outreach.
Additionally, she served as Advisor to the Prime Minister for Humanitarian Relief Programs and Development and represented the Republic of Yemen in numerous regional and international forums. Her extensive background in governance, democracy, and institutional development is further demonstrated through her work with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), alongside her engagement in poverty reduction and local community development programs, particularly within the education and health sectors.
Her Excellency holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Science and Technology in Sana’a, a Master’s degree in Community Health and Health Economics from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), and a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from Sana’a University.