Hadiza Bala Usman

Hadiza Bala Usman was born on 2nd January 1976 in Zaria Kaduna State, Nigeria.

She started her education at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria Staff Primary School and went ahead to complete both her Secondary and Undergraduate Studies at the Ahmadu Bello University campus Zaria with a BSC in Business Administration from 1996 – 2000. She later obtained an MA in Development Studies from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom in 2008 – 2009.

She started her career with Centre for Democratic Development and Research Training [CEDDERT] Zaria, a Non-Governmental Organization in June 1999- June 2000 as a Research Assistant. Following which she worked at the Bureau of Public Enterprise [BPE], the agency charged with the implementation of the privatisation programme of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from July 2000- August 2004 as an Enterprise Officer.

She was then hired by the UNDP for the Federal Capital Territory Administration [FCTA] from October 2004 – January 2008 as a Special Assistant to the Minister on Project Implementation.

From 2011 to July 2015 she was appointed as Chief of staff of Kaduna state an appointment she held before her appointment as MD NPA in July 11th, 2016.

As a member of the All Progressives Congress Party [APC] she served on various Committees, key amongst them are:

• Membership of the APC Strategy Committee from Jan 2014- December 2014. The Committee defined the Policy thrust of the Party and consequently developed the Party Manifesto.
• Member/ Secretary of the APC National Elections Planning Committee – June 2014 – April 2015. The Committee developed and coordinated the Parties election winning strategies.
• Administrative Secretary of the APC Presidential Campaign from Jan 2015 – April 2015.

• Member of the Presidential Inauguration Planning Committee representing the in-coming Administration from April – May 2015.

In July 2015, she was appointed as the Chief of Staff to the Kaduna State Governor.

She was appointed in September 2015 by President Muhammadu Buhari to serve as a Member of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption.

In April 2014, she co-founded the global movement #BringBackOurGirls which has been demanding for the rescue of the 219 young girls abducted by the terrorist group Boko Haram from Chibok Secondary School in Borno State North East Nigeria.

Amongst recognition she has include being named by Financial Times [FT] amongst the most influential women of 2014, was named amongst CNN’s  most inspiring woman of 2014 and also named by Ebony Magazine amongst the 2014 100 most influential black women in the world.