Honorable Minister of Finance   

MANSUR MUHTAR

Mansur Muhtar was born in Dambatta, Kano State in 1959. He obtained a B.Sc. Degree in Economics with First Class Honours from the Ahmadu Bello University in 1980, an M. Phil in Economics with Distinction from Cambridge University UK in 1983 and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Sussex in 1988.

Muhtar has worked variously at home and abroad as an academic, civil servant and banker. Most recently (July 2007 to December 2008) he served as the Executive Director representing Nigeria at the African Development Bank, where he played a key role in setting strategic and policy directions for the Bank.

From 2001 to 2007 Muhtar worked at the Debt Management Office (DMO), a semi-autonomous government agency charged with formulating and implementing Nigeria’s debt strategy, as well as managing Nigeria’s debt portfolio. As a pioneer staff of the DMO, Muhtar started as Director Portfolio Management and rose to become the Director General from 2003-2007. He worked assiduously with the Minister of Finance in negotiating Nigeria’s external debt relief package with Paris Club creditors. Muhtar also managed the redemption process of Nigeria’s London Club debt portfolio as well as the re-establishment of Nigeria’s domestic debt issuance program.

As the Director-General of the DMO, Muhtar was a Member of the Economic Team of the Federal Republic of Nigeria - a 13-member group under the leadership of the Finance Minister that provided leadership and direction for the formulation and implementation of Nigeria’s economic reform program. Muhtar chaired the Economic Team’s Working Group on Fiscal Responsibility Legislation and the Committee on the establishment of a Consumer Credit System, among other things.

Muhtar was variously seconded from the World Bank to serve as: Deputy General Manager, Strategic Management and Economics Division at United Bank for Africa Plc from 2000 to 2001, and a member of the Program Implementation Monitoring Committee (PIMCO) from 1998 – 1999.

From 1992 to 1997 Muhtar worked as an Economist, Task Manager and Team Leader at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington, D.C – a role in which he prepared, negotiated and supervised World Bank-financed projects in a number of countries, including Pakistan, Yemen, Burundi, Rwanda and Comoros islands.

From 1990 to 1992 Muhtar served as Special Assistant to the Minister of Agriculture. Between 1981 and 1990, he had a stint at the academia as a Graduate Assistant and, eventually, Head of the Department of Economics at Bayero University, Kano.

Muhtar is a recipient of the Nigerian Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) National Award.