The Afghan government has appointed a woman as the deputy governor of capital Kabul amid ongoing efforts to increase the role of women in the key leadership positions.

The Independent Directorate of the Local Governance (IDLG) confirmed the appointment of Munira Yousufzada as Deputy Provincial Governor of Kabul today.

According to a statement by IDLG, Ms. Yousufzada who was previously working as Director of Information and Public Awareness and Spokesperson for IDLG, has been appointed as Social Affairs’ Deputy Governor of Kabul Province as per presidential decree.

The statement further adds that Ms. Yousufzada is a well-known character among media and social activists and has worked with international NGOs and IDLG for last ten years.

This comes as the government leaders had earlier promised to increase the role of women to serve in the key government positions and since then several women have been appointed in top leadership positions.

The Independent Directorate of Local Governance informed regarding the appointment of another woman as deputy governor of Nangarhar province.

According to IDLG, Habiba Kakar Qazizada was appointed as the deputy governor of the province based on the recommendation of the directorate and approval of President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani.