MRS. KARIMA IBRAHIM BABANGIDA

Mrs. Karima Ibrahim Babangida is an accomplished Agronomist and senior public sector leader with extensive experience in agricultural policy, programme development, and institutional reform in Nigeria. She retired in January 2022 as Director of the Federal Department of Agriculture in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, becoming the first female to head the Department—the largest in the Ministry since its establishment in 1967.

In this role, she provided strategic leadership in national agricultural policy development and implementation, with strong emphasis on gender mainstreaming, youth empowerment, and inclusion of vulnerable groups. She also chaired the Ministerial Task Force on COVID-19, coordinating sectoral responses during the pandemic. Previously, she served as the first female Director of the Federal Department of Extension Services and as Director of Gender and Youth.

Mrs. Babangida led the development of the National Agricultural Extension Policy and coordinated the National Gender Action Plan (NGAP) for Agriculture, strengthening women’s participation in the sector. She organized Nigeria’s first Agricultural Side Event at the 63rd Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York. She also coordinated N-Power Agro under the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), served as Agriculture Focal Lead for Growing Girls and Women in Nigeria (GWIN), and led the formulation of the Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP) in collaboration with FAO, serving as its National Project Coordinator.

Her earlier career included key roles in the National Food Reserve Agency and major rice development initiatives, including CARD and JICA-supported projects, contributing to Nigeria’s National Rice Development Strategy and Rice Transformation Agenda. She is an alumna of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.