Education & Certifications
Maryam Uwais completed her Bachelor of Laws (Hons) at Ahmadu Bello University in 1980. She obtained her Master of Laws from Ahmadu Bello University in 1985. She holds a Certificate of Honour in Advanced Practice and Procedure from the Nigeria Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, along with a certificate in Legal Drafting in 1989. She also has an International Practice Diploma in International Business Organizations from the International Bar Association, College of Law, England and Wales. In 2006, she became an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in the United Kingdom and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Islamic Banking and Insurance in 2009.
Career & Expertise
Maryam Uwais is a distinguished lawyer with over 36 years of experience in law practice, with significant roles at the Kano State Ministry of Industry, the Central Bank of Nigeria, and the Nigerian Law Reform Commission. She served as the Special Adviser on Social Investments to former President Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 to 2023.
In addition to her governmental role, Uwais has worked as a consultant for several prominent organisations, including the Open Society Initiative for West Africa, UNICEF, the World Bank, and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DfID). She has authored numerous articles addressing various topics such as economic and social rights, interfaith dialogue, child justice administration, and good governance.
Uwais is also known for her leadership as the founder of the Isa Wali Empowerment Initiative, established in 2009 to improve the conditions of women and children in education, healthcare, and empowerment. Her extensive involvement in human rights includes serving as a Special Rapporteur on Child Rights at the National Human Rights Commission and being the National Coordinator of the At-Risk-Children Programme, an initiative sponsored by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Skill Utilisation
She can speak extensively on social justice, women’s empowerment, and human and children’s rights.
