Zeinab Elobeid Yousif

Zeinab Elobeid Yousif
زينب العبيد يوسف
1st Arab, African and Sudanese Female Aircraft Engineer
Born	Zeinab Elobeid Yousif 1952 Khartoum, Sudan
Died	14 March 2016, 63 London UK
Nationality	Sudanese/British
Occupation	Aircraft Engineer
Years active	1978 to 2002
Known for	1st Arab, African and Sudanese female Aircraft Engineer
Notable work	Avionic communication / navigation / & radar

Zeinab Elobeid Yousif (1952 - 19 March 2016) (Arabic: زينب العبيد يوسف), was the first female Sudanese Aircraft Engineer to be licensed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), (Senior Engineer Licensed Aircraft / Ground engineer). She worked with Sudan Airways from July 1973 till May 1992, after which she relocated to the United Kingdom. During the 1960s, the Sudanese culture was very orthodox and it was quite hostile for a woman to study and work in fields such as engineering etc. There was a preconceived notion that entry to these technical fields are reserved only for males.

Zeinab studied and worked in the field of Electronics, Avionic Communication, navigation and radar. She worked on Boeing 707 / Boeing 737 / 347 / Fokker 50 and Fokker F27 at Sudan Airways and on Cessna 402/ 404/ 208 & Beachcraft 1900 at South-end Airport. In the 1990s, she earned a Master's Degree (MSc) in Advanced Manufacturing Systems from Kingston University, London.

Early life and education

Zeinab was born in khartoum, Sudan on June 13 1952, the oldest daughter of Elobeid Yousif Ahmed Shidwan, a well know respected businessman, and Asma Elobeid Ahmed Shidwan, who both come from a very religious family. Zeinab grow up in village of Umdawwanban (Arabic: أم ضوّاً بان) know for Almaseed, big religious school for boys where people from all over Sudan and sub-Saharan Africa send their children to study Quran.

References

• Profile of Zeinab Yousif Sudan's Aviation Hall of Fame