CAIRO, EGYPT — Abdel Moneim al-Banna, formerly head of Egypt’s Agricultural Research Center, on Feb. 14 was named minister of agriculture, part of a cabinet wide shake-up by Egypt’s parliament. He succeeds Essam Fayed, who had held the post since 2015.

As head of the state’s Agricultural Research Center, Banna was involved in agricultural and water resource management projects in coordination with Italy, France, the Netherlands and the European Union.

In his new role, Banna will oversee Egypt’s new system for inspecting agricultural imports. The system, which was put in place this month, is expected to help streamline the process for inspecting imports.

The Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation on Sept. 27, 2016, reached an agreement with SGS SA under which SGS will examine imported wheat to confirm it complies with Egyptian standards. SGS is a Geneva, Switzerland-based inspection service. The move signals a change from the way Egypt previously handled inspections. Previously, the inspections were carried out by six Egyptian officials, including two from the quarantine department.

Also on Feb. 14, Egypt’s parliament confirmed the appointment of three deputies in the Agriculture Ministry: Mohamed Hassan as deputy minister for agricultural reclamation, Mona Hassanein as deputy minister for animal resources and fisheries, and Safwat Hammad as deputy minister for agricultural services.