Ghada Abdel Tawab is a senior program officer on the Future of Work(ers) team, working in the foundation’s Cairo office. She leads Ford’s global work on advancing worker power, social protection, and economic security. Over the past nine years, Ghada served as a Ford program officer focused on supporting civil society, government, and academic institutions in their efforts to promote social justice in the Middle East and North Africa, with a particular focus on decent work and social protection in the informal economy.

Ghada has worked for nearly 30 years to advance development and human rights. Before joining Ford in 2013, she was senior regional expert at the German International Cooperation program for economic integration of women in the Middle East and North Africa. Her work included designing and launching program initiatives, developing country strategies, and mapping out key partners and issues at the country and regional levels.

Previously, Ghada was senior adviser and technical team leader for gender equality at the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). As the leader of CIDA’s gender team, she directed the design and implementation of a national program strategy to further the social and economic rights of women and girls. In 2008, she was recognized with the CIDA Presidential Award for Excellence.

In her earlier role as national program coordinator for the Canada Fund, Ghada was responsible for grantmaking across an array of fields, including water, sanitation, primary healthcare, human rights, and the environment. She managed and supervised initiatives, provided technical input and coaching, and commissioned studies and research.

Ghada holds a master’s degree in development studies and a bachelor’s degree in political science, both from the American University in Cairo.