Sheikha Aisha bint Khalfan bin Jameel al-Sayabiyah was appointed the President of Public Authority for Craft Industries, Oman in 2003.

Early life

Khalfan was born in

Samail Samāʾil ( ar, سَمَائِل) is a Wilayah (province) located in Ad-Dakhiliyah Region of the Sultanate of Oman. Sama'il Valley The valley or wadi of Sama'il, also referred to as the "Sumail Gap", divides Al Hajar Mountains into the Easte ...

town, the youngest in a family with eleven children. She attended the

Sultan Qaboos University Sultan Qaboos University, located in Al Seeb in the Muscat Governorate, is one of the two public universities in the Sultanate of Oman. Most students entering the university are selected based on their performance in high school final examina ...

, from where she graduated with a degree in arts in 1995.

Career

After finishing her education, Khalfan worked as a teacher. In March 2003, the

Sultan of Oman The sultan of the Sultanate of Oman is the monarchical head of state and head of government of Oman. It is the most powerful position in the country. The sultans of Oman are members of the Busaid dynasty, which has been the ruling family of O ...

Qaboos bin Said al Said Qaboos bin Said Al Said ( ar, قابوس بن سعيد آل سعيد, ; 18 November 1940 – 10 January 2020) was Sultan of Oman from 23 July 1970 until his death in 2020. A fifteenth-generation descendant of the founder of the House of Al Said, ...

issued a decree appointing Khalfan as the president of the Omani Public Authority for Craft Industries. This post is equivalent to the rank of minister without portfolio and hence she is regarded as the first woman minister of Oman. With this decree, Oman became the first country from the

Gulf Cooperation Council The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf ( ar, مجلس التعاون لدول العربية الخليج ), also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; ar, مجلس التعاون الخليجي), is a regional, interg ...

to have a woman minister. Khalfan is a member of the executive council of Arab Women Organisation (AWO) and headed the Omani delegation at the 2016 AWO Conference where Oman was chosen the president of AWO until 2019. She has also served on the

University of Nizwa The University of Nizwa (UoN) was established in 2002 by the Decree of Sultan Qaboos as the first non-profit university in the Sultanate of Oman. It remains the only institution of its kind in Oman. Upon the satisfaction of all requirements set ...

's Board of Trustees and is a cabinet member of Omani Women's Association.

References

Living people 21st-century Omani women politicians 21st-century Omani politicians Omani educators Sultan Qaboos University alumni People from Ad Dakhiliyah Governorate Date of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Women government ministers of Oman {{Oman-bio-stub