Aisha Abubakar is an accomplished public sector administrator with over 30 years of professional working experience in public service and pension administration, investment banking, SME Finance/Rural enterprise development and micro-credit administration.
She currently serves as an independent non-executive director of the Board of Directors for Union Bank of Nigeria, where she executes her role as a board member providing oversight over the bank’s management and operations.
Prior to her appointment by Union Bank in 2021, she served in President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet from 2015-2019. She was first appointed as the Honourable Minister for Industry, Trade, and Investment (2015-2018) before going on to serve as the Honourable Minister for Women Affairs and Social Development (2018-2019) in the Federal Executive Council.
During her tenure in the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Abubakar provided administrative guidance which saw her pioneer several progressive and innovative reforms toward national development. This included actively providing recommendations on industrialisation with particular emphasis on micro, small and medium enterprises development.
She also served as a member of several federal government committees and councils like the Nigeria Industrial Policy & Competitiveness Advisory Council, National Council Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, and Economic Management Team. As a minister, she focused on reforms in the Cotton, Textiles & Garment (CTG) sector serving as Vice Chair, of the committee on the implementation of the CTG Policy. Her renewed “Made in Nigeria Campaign” led to the pronouncement of Executive Order III (EOO3) to encourage local content in government procurement.