Aisha ABUBAKAR
Aisha Abubakar, CSFIEC-UK, FPMA-UK, FCIPM-UK
Aisha Abubakar started her banking career as a Research Officer in a Merchant Bank and acquired further experience in development, retail and credit administration. Found her passion in micro, small and medium enterprises development where she deepened her skills in microcredit and non-interest financing. Her career focused principally on Small and Micro Enterprise Development, Women Development and Family Livelihood Enhancement.
She obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Politics with International Studies from University of Warwick in 1990 and completed her Master’s Degree in Development Studies at the University of Leeds, in 1991. She worked at the African Development Bank (AfDB), but later relocated to the African International Bank (AIB) in Lagos where she rose to the position of Principal Manager just before she left to start her own business in 1999. During this time further competences were learnt in international development and human resource management.
Aisha joined the Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA) in 2005 as one of the pioneer staff, and rose to become the Managing Director/CEO 10 years later! As premier Company Secretary of the AEA, a number of courses such as Corporate Governance & Board Management, Building Teams, Collaborative Partnerships to name a few enabled her success at the AEA. She paved the way for a closer relation between the Agency, Board and its Supervising Minister which ensured adequate budgetary provision of the Agency, increased the Agency training capacities and clientele, founded the FCT Microfinance Bank and saw the Agency settled at its permanent site in Jahi. The Entrepreneurial Complex was the first of its kind in Nigeria. Her commitment to excellence and an unwavering focus saw AEA receiving the Global Citizen Movement Award for Entrepreneurship & Innovation in leadership in 2013, in New York City, USA for being a model for entrepreneurial development as a way to lift people and communities out of extreme poverty and serving as a model for the rest of the world.
Her quest for diversity and continuous development saw her assuming higher roles as a Pioneer Director overseeing to the welfare of pensioners under the Customs, Immigration and Prisons Department at the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) in 2015.
She had only been in PTAD for a few months, when His Excellency, President Muhammad Buhari appointed her as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in November 2015 as Minister of State Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment. In recognition of her dexterity and dedication to duty, she was in October 2018 given the added responsibility of overseeing the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, a post she held until May, 2019.
Aisha intends to pursue continuous self-development through training and mentoring.
She is the founding Chairman of Global Entrepreneurship Network Nigeria.
