Mrs. HADIZA UMAR (ICAS Associate Consultant)

Hadiza Umar is the founder/Executive Director of Hope for Communities and children Initiative (H4CC) an indigenous NGO in Northern Nigeria. She is a seasoned development worker and international consultant and researcher with over 20 years of experience in development work in the areas of Education, Reproductive Health, Governance and Gender Equality Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI).

Hadiza has experience of working across the geo-political zones in Nigeria and Sierra Leone. She has vast experience of working with rural communities and diverse populations from poor and vulnerable populations to high level political engagement with government Ministries, Departments & Agencies. Over the years, Hadiza has created valuable networks of relevant networks that makes her a result-oriented individual with a goal of delivering targets and setting standards for scalable, replicable and cost-effective models in the development sector.

Hadiza has been an independent consultant and an active Civil Society member since 2017, that additional role has opened her up to supporting development work in and outside Nigeria mainly focusing on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in the Education, Health, and Governance areas of work. She has partnered with several development organizations such as The FHI360, The Social Norms Learning Collaborative, UNGEI, UNICEF, Mott MacDonald, Social Development Direct (SDD) UK, Oxford Policy Management Limited (OPML) UK and UNESCO to promote work on Policy development/reviews, social norms, Gender Based Violence, Governance, safeguarding and Disability-Inclusion in Nigeria and radical Inclusion in Sierra Leone. Hadiza was the current past Co-Chair of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in Kaduna state a Global co-creation platform for accountability and transparency. Hadiza holds a master’s degree in international Affairs and Diplomacy from Ahmadu Bello University, an MBA in Project Management from University of Wales and has just recently earned a Post Graduate Diploma in Education from the National Open University of Nigeria. Hadiza looks forward to pursuing a PhD. In Inclusive Education in the near future.

Mr. Abubakar Yusuf (ICAS Associate Consultant)

Abubakar Yusuf is a skilled Data Analyst and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Specialist with over ten years of experience working on research, market development, and data management projects in Nigeria’s development and agricultural sectors. He has demonstrated expertise in designing and implementing digital data collection systems, conducting quantitative and qualitative analyses, and managing field teams across complex, large-scale surveys. Abubakar has a proven track record of ensuring data accuracy, integrity, and security while supporting strategic decision-making through detailed reports and insights.

Throughout his career, Abubakar has collab

orated with reputable organizations, including Transcription Services International Limited (TRANSSIL), Veterinex Limited, Ambuvets Konsult Limited, Propcom Mai-karfi, Palladium, and Amplified Agric-Culture. He has managed diverse projects such as ACT watch Lite, a multi-country malaria research initiative, and the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES), contributing significantly to the successful collection, analysis, and reporting of data for key stakeholders.

Abubakar is highly proficient in utilizing advanced data collection platforms, as well as in developing customized dashboards and reporting tools. His strong analytical skills are complemented by his ability to lead field teams, train enumerators, and ensure compliance with data protection and confidentiality policies. Abubakar’s work has been instrumental in driving impactful interventions in rural and agricultural markets across Nigeria, with a focus on enhancing productivity, resilience, and market competitiveness.

Core Competencies: Data Analysis & Visualization; Monitoring & Evaluation; Digital Data Collection Platforms; Dashboard Development & Reporting; Field Team Coordination & Training; Quantitative & Qualitative Research; Data Validation & Quality Control; Stakeholder Engagement & Strategic Planning

Professor Adejo Odoh (ICAS Associate Consultant)

Professor Adejo Odoh hails from Ogugu, Olamaboro Local Government, Kogi State of Nigeria. He holds a B.Sc Political Science, (1979) M.Sc Pol Science 1982) MPA (Local Government, 1984), Ph.D Public Administration (1989). Professor Odoh joined the services of Ahmadu Bello University in March 1982 as an Assistant Lecturer and became a Professor of Local Government and Development Studies in 2004.

Prof. Odoh has published not less than 20 Journal Articles, myriads of Conference and Workshop papers, both locally and internationally; produced two books, and various monographs. Particularly, his PhD thesis is titled “Autonomy as a Principle of Local Government Administration in Nigeria”. As a lecturer, he has taught courses in Policy, Local Government Administration, and Development Studies. He also specializes and actually taught Research methods where he has two books.

Prof. Odoh had been Head of Department for four years and had headed and participated in other Committees of the University. Prof. Odoh’s extension services are intimidating. In the area of local government, he has conducted studies, for state governments and local governments, organized short term training and workshops for local governments in conjunction with the Local Government Service Commissions (of the North) and the Presidency, since 1982. His experiences with donor agencies show that he has worked extensively with UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, World Bank, DFID, USAID, and ADB, spanning different sectors over a long period of time. Professor Odoh is married and blessed with children who are now in a position to take over from him. Glory be to God.

Mr. Adam Suleiman (ICAS Associate Consultant)

Mr. Suleiman is an accomplished professional with a proven record of driving impactful change in diverse sectors, consistently demonstrating a strong commitment to excellence and innovation. Throughout his career, he has been driven by a passion for Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) and have successfully spearheaded initiatives that have left a lasting positive impact on the organizations he has been a part of.

He is deeply committed to enhancing program effectiveness, bringing a wealth of experience garnered from key leadership roles as the Head of MEL at ECP, Palladium International Nigeria which enabled him to lead the development of adaptive learning processes, ensuring alignment with the broader principles of the PERL program. Mr. Suleiman takes pride in fostering a culture of continuous improvement and

learning within teams, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based decision-making. In his role as Project Director for the Rockefeller Foundation Yieldwise Initiative Nigeria Project, he undertook the challenge of overseeing the project’s start-up and inception, demonstrating my ability to provide strategic vision and leadership. His hands-on approach to strategy development and coordination in areas such as farmer aggregation, training, and creating access to markets showcased my commitment to creating sustainable solutions in the

Abubakar A Adamu (ICAS Associate Consultant)

Mr. Abubakar is a seasoned community development expert and has a Bachelor Degree in Applied Biology from Bayero University Kano. He has nearly a decade work experience in social and organisational development. Mr. Abubakar has participated and coordinated not less than 20 assignments in the last 5 years cutting across, health, organisational and community development as well as livelihood sectors

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