Aisha Abubakar was born into the family of the renowned Nigerian and elder statesman Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji of the royal family of the Sokoto Caliphate, on the 20th of July, 1966.

In 1978, she was admitted on national merit to the prestigious Queen College, Yaba, Lagos to start her secondary education, and in 1982, went to the United Kingdom to complete her secondary education and study for her ‘A’ Levels at St. Mary’s Hall, Brighton.
Aisha graduated with a B.A in Politics and International Studies, and an M.A (Master’s degree) in Development Studies in 1991.
At this point, she came to the realisation that it was imperative for her to start giving back to her community back home in Sokoto State. She was keen on helping people and the Masters in Development Studies shaped her thoughts.
She returned to Nigeria and obtained a position with the African Development Bank in 1996. After several years in ADB she moved unto the African International Bank in Lagos and rose to become a Senior Manager.
In 2005, she joined the Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA) where she became the MD/CEO. Aisha’s commitment to excellence and dedicated focus saw AEA receive the Global Citizen Movement Award for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Leadership in 2013 in New York City, USA. Under her watch, AEA secured over N2 billion that was disbursed to SME’s in the FCT with an 80% recovery rate.
Aisha also fought hard to see the establishment of the first microfinance bank owned by the FCDA and located in Kwali Area Council, which today is a big blessing to business owners in that area.
After over 10 years in AEA, she moved into the pension industry as a pioneer Director of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) seeing to the welfare of pensioners under the Customs, Immigration and Prisons department.
She had only been in PTAD for a few months, when President Muhammadu Buhari appointed her a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in November 2015.
Today, Aisha Abukakar serves her country as the Minister of State of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (MITI).
The Minister of State, Aisha Abubakar, is a multi-disciplinary professional with a strong background and passion for SMEs development. She is a well-read and travelled professional with a passion to see people reach their full potential and be economically empowered.
As the Minister of State in the MITI, she has started working on the industrialization plans of the nation, as she and her team look to diversify the economy. She believes that SME development, revitalisation of industrial parks and clusters as well as providing an enabling environment are some of the ways the administration will deliver on her mandate to Nigerians.

“Nigeria is open for business and we are committed to accelerating our growth, removing barriers to business and ensuring that we get back to the path of national prosperity. The organised private sector and all groups are now called upon to respond and do their bit in turning around the nation’s economy.”