UAE gets first woman minister

The United Arab Emirates today named Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, the initiator of Information Technology revolution in Dubai as economy and planning minister, the first woman to hold a ministerial post in the Gulf State.

Qasimi, who was appointed as the minister by President Sheikh Zaved bin Sultan al Nahyan, yesterday, is the managing director of Middle East's fastest growing Business to Business (B2B) dot.com company and Tejari.com.

She was named head of the new ministry combining the formerly separate economy and planning ministeries as part of a cabinet reshuffle decreed by President on a suggestion from Vice President Sheikh Makotum bin Rashid Al Makotum and Prime Minister.

The appointment of a woman in the cabinet is in line with the UAE policy to involve women in the country's decision making process at the highest level.

UAE is one of the Gulf Arab countries where women hold positions of power and business unlike Saudi Arabia where women do not even have the right to drive a car.