Zainab Ahmed

Zainab Ahmed is Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning—a portfolio that makes her one of the country’s most influential ministers. In that capacity, she has is seeking to boost government revenue, with plans underway to raise value-added tax while taming public debt that now estimated at more than $80 billion. She previously served as executive secretary and national coordinator of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI). An accountant by training, she has extensive experience in public sector reform and management.