Maryam Umar is a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria with over 18 years of professional legal experience, including more than 14 years of progressive and specialised experience in Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) at the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).

She currently serves as Chief of Staff to the Director General of ICRC, where she provides strategic leadership and high-level coordination in translating the Director General’s priorities, policies and initiatives into actionable programmes. In this capacity, she facilitates cross-functional collaboration across departments and stakeholders, supports strategic decision-making, coordinates key engagements, and provides oversight for special assignments and priority initiatives of the Director General.

In addition, as Head of the PPP Special Projects Unit, Mrs. Umar leads the development, coordination and implementation of strategic and high-priority projects assigned to the Commission. Her responsibilities include coordinating Presidential and Federal Government special initiatives, facilitating inter-agency collaboration, supporting the structuring and development of strategic PPP projects, and leading consultations and negotiations with public institutions, private-sector sponsors, development partners and other key stakeholders.

With extensive experience at the intersection of law, infrastructure development, public policy and project finance, Mrs. Umar has developed strong expertise in PPP project development, Risk analysis, transaction structuring, contract negotiation, regulatory compliance, stakeholder management and strategic project delivery. She brings a practical understanding of the legal and institutional frameworks required to develop sustainable infrastructure partnerships between the public and private sectors.

Mrs. Umar is an alumna of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, the Nigerian Law School, and the University of Leicester, United Kingdom, where she obtained an MBA in Business Administration. She is also a Certified PPP Professional (CP3P) and has undertaken a range of executive and professional development programmes at leading institutions in Nigeria and internationally.

A strategic thinker and accomplished professional, Mrs. Umar is recognised for her strong analytical, negotiation, leadership and communication skills, complemented by excellent stakeholder engagement and interpersonal abilities.

Mrs. Umar brings a distinctive combination of legal expertise, business acumen, PPP knowledge, policy insight and strategic leadership to the projects and initiatives she leads.