Special Adviser on Policy Coordination, Public Servant, Campaigner [Nigeria]
Hadiza Bala Usman is a distinguished public servant and policy expert with a career spanning over two decades in governance, public administration, and advocacy. In 2023, she was appointed Special Adviser on Policy Coordination to the President of Nigeria, continuing her legacy of transformative leadership.
From 2016 to 2021, Hadiza served as the first female managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in its 63-year history. During her tenure, she implemented a visionary 25-year port development strategy to modernize Nigeria’s maritime sector and strengthen its global competitiveness. She also held the position of Vice President for the African Region of the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), driving strategic growth in the region.
Hadiza’s career in public service began at the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), after which she joined the Federal Capital Territory Administration under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as an assistant to the minister of project implementation. She later became the first woman to serve as Chief of Staff to the Executive Governor of Kaduna State, where she played a pivotal role in governance and policy execution.
A passionate advocate for education and women’s empowerment, Hadiza co-founded the BringBackOurGirls campaign, a global movement that brought international attention to the plight of 279 schoolgirls abducted in Chibok, Nigeria, in 2014.
Hadiza is an alumna of Ahmadu Bello University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and the University of Leeds, where she obtained a postgraduate degree in development studies. Her exceptional contributions have been recognized globally, including being named an administrator for the Financial Times’ Most Influential Women of the Year and CNN’s Most Inspiring Women of the Year in 2014.
Hadiza Bala Usman continues to be a trailblazer in public service, leveraging her expertise to influence policy and advocate for sustainable development and social justice in Nigeria and beyond.