Since taking office in 2023, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has pursued one of the most consequential economic reset agendas in Nigeria’s recent history, scrapping fuel subsidies, unifying the FX market, and signalling a return to market-led policy.
But beyond the headline reforms and volatile macro data lies a quieter, strategic shift in governance: the elevation of women into critical ministerial, agency, and parastatal roles that sit at the heart of execution.
In his cabinet alone, out of the 48 ministers, seven are women.
While inflation and currency pressures have tested households and businesses, financial markets have told a more optimistic story.
The Nigerian Exchange Limited has rallied sharply, buoyed by reform momentum, banking sector recapitalisation plays, and a gradual re-entry of foreign portfolio investors seeking yield and policy clarity.
This piece tracks the women(in no order of ranking)shaping that transition, leaders tasked with translating reform into results across finance, trade, regulation, and state-owned enterprises.
Their influence offers a distinct lens into how Tinubu’s economic agenda is being implemented, and whether Nigeria’s early market gains can evolve into sustained, broad-based growth.
Below are 16 influential women shaping Nigeria’s governance and economic direction under the Tinubu administration:
16. Didi Esther Walson-Jack: Head of Service
15. Zubaida Umar Abubakar: Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Nigeria
14. Olu A. Verheijen: Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Nigeria
13. Kemi Nandap: Comptroller-General, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria
12. Jane Egerton-Idehen: Managing Director & CEO, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), Nigeria
11. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye: Director-General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigeria
10. Olubunmi Oluwaseun Kuku: Managing Director & Chief Executive, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN)
9. Tola Odeyemi: Postmaster General & CEO, Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), Nigeria
8. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu: Foreign of Foreign Affairs
7. Omolola Oloworaran: Director General of Nigeria’s National Pension Commission (PenCom)
6. Jumoke Oduwole, MFR: Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Nigeria
5. Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim: Minister of Women Affairs, Nigeria
4. Suwaiba Sa’idu Ahmad: Minister of State for Education, Nigeria
3. Hadiza Bala Usman: Special Adviser on Policy Coordination to the President, Nigeria
2. Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Anite, CFA: Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, Nigeria
1. Hannatu Musa Musawa: Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy
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