Amina A. Salihu is the deputy director, On Nigeria at MacArthur Foundation, and she is responsible for inclusive grant-making and communication, programme idea generation, and networking with the On Nigeria team.
The foundation works on a few big bets that strive toward transformative change in areas of profound concern, including the existential threats of climate change and nuclear risk, the challenges of criminal justice reform in the U.S. and corruption in Nigeria.
In addition, they maintain enduring commitments in their hometown Chicago, where they invest in people, places, and partnerships to build a more inclusive Chicago and in journalism and media, where they invest in more just and inclusive news and narratives.
They also make awards to extraordinarily creative individuals through the MacArthur Fellows programme and for solutions to critical problems of our time through 100&Change.
MacArthur’s core values are deeply ingrained principles that embody who they are, what they stand for, and how they work.
Their values represent a core set of beliefs that guide how their organisation conducts itself and builds trust-based relationships with partners and grantees. Their values guide their decisions, behaviours, and reflect how they seek to serve their communities and work together to create a more just, verdant, and peaceful world.
They live their mission through the Just Imperative, which charges them to lead with a commitment to justice.
Amina was formerly a lecturer in the Political Science Department of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, and coordinator, DFID/UKAid’s Coalitions for Change (C4C) Programme.
Amina received her B.Sc and M.Sc from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and PhD from the University of Abuja. She has also spent time at Aspen, the Universities of Cape Town, Sussex, and Liverpool.
Amina is an honorary adviser to numerous government, private sector, and civil society organisations on gender, equity, inclusion, and policy. She is a member of the International Political Science Association, Chartered Management Consultants, and the African Feminist Forum. She was a past chair of the Kaduna State Rehabilitation Board for Persons with Disabilities, pioneer co-chair of the board of directors, and now chair of the advisory team of the Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund, and technical advisor to the EU RoLAC programme on a web-based sexual offender database for Nigeria. Amina is a member of the governing council of Ekiti State University and an independent non-executive director on the board of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria Plc. Amina is chair, board of trustees of Hadis Foundation for voice, accountability, and safe spaces.
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