The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has appointed Hajia Abibata Shanni Mahama Zakariah as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC).
The former Deputy CEO of MASLOC replaces her immediate past boss, Mr. Stephen Amoah, who is currently the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Nhyiaso Constituency in the Ashanti Region.
She was appointed as the Deputy CEO of MASLOC in 2017 and served diligently to improve the lives of many deprived Ghanaians especially women in the rural areas. During her time as the Deputy CEO, Hajia Abibta Shanni demonstrated a high level of competence and hard work towards the transformation of MASLOC.
She also played pivotal roles in the disbursement of soft loans to thousands of Ghanaians to start up or expand their businesses.
She was very instrumental in the establishment of MASLOC District Offices across the regions. Hajia Abibata Shanni Mahama Zakariah, a proud native of Yendi, the traditional capital of the Dagbon State in the Northern Region, is one of the famous political figures in Ghana most especially in the Northern Sector.
The one-time Parliament Aspirant of the NPP in the Yendi Constituency is regarded as a highly motivated individual, a team player, a results-oriented person, dynamic, analytical and highly competent woman who has impacted many lives in Ghana.
Hajia Abibata Shanni Mahama Zakariah holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration with emphasis on Economic and Political Development from The School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) – Columbia University in the City of New York.
She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Ghana. The new MASLOC CEO is also an expert in Project Management, Business Development, Strategy, Public Management and Institutional Analysis, Government Budgeting, Operations Management, Economic Empowerment of Women, International Capital Markets, Business Analysis, Monitoring and Evaluation among others.
Hajia Abibata Shanni Mahama Zakariah has applied these skills through continued work with the public service, private sector and international organizations where she acquired a wide-range of knowledge in the formulation and implementation of projects and policies.
The former student of Yaa Asantewaa Girls Secondary School has extensive work experience from different local and international organisations such as the Agricultural Development Bank (Accra Ghana), The Millennium Cities Initiative – MCI in collaboration with Earth Institute of Columbia University (Accra, Ghana), Consultancy for The Capacity Development Group (UNDP, New York), Merchant Bank Ghana Limited (Accra, Ghana) and Jospong Group of Companies (Accra, Ghana).
She is happily married with four children.
By Edmond Gyebi
