Maryam Aminu
Oxfam International has announced the reappointment of Tijani Ahmed Hamza as its Country Director in Nigeria, marking a strategic return of one of the organisation’s most experienced and trusted leaders to steer its country operations.
According to information shared on the organisation’s official social media platforms welcoming his return, Oxfam described Tijani as “a key part of our story,” noting that he previously served as Interim Country Director during two critical transition periods in 2021 and again across 2023 and 2024, providing steady leadership and institutional continuity.
Tijani Ahmed Hamza is rejoining Oxfam International with a distinguished professional history spanning over two decades with the organisation and its affiliates. His journey began in 2001 with IBIS (now Oxfam Denmark), where he spent thirteen years in various senior leadership roles. These included serving as Country Director for Sierra Leone from 2009 to 2014 and later as Country Director for Ghana until 2016. He subsequently assumed the role of Country Director for Oxfam International in Ghana, a position he held from 2016 to 2024.
With nearly thirty years of experience in non-profit programming and leadership, Tijani brings deep expertise in natural resource governance, social and fiscal policy, climate change, food security, and agriculture. Beyond his extensive tenure with Oxfam, he has also held leadership roles at ActionAid and most recently served as Anglophone Programme Lead at the Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL), where he oversaw country interventions across Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and Ethiopia.
A respected thought leader and scholar, Tijani is a Ford Foundation/Indiana University Fellow in African NGO Leadership and an active researcher whose work focuses on organizational development, philanthropy, and the evolution of civil society in Africa.
Tijani Ahmed Hamza, Country Director Oxfam Nigeria
He is also widely recognised as a strong advocate and champion for local civil society organisations, with a long-standing commitment to strengthening indigenous leadership and institutional sustainability.
Further underscoring his dedication to the sector, Tijani designed a specialised executive leadership and succession planning programme for African civil society leaders, developed in partnership with the Association for Research on Civil Society in Africa. He is currently in the final phase of his Doctorate, which examines executive NGO leadership transitions and their broader implications for civic space across the continent.
Oxfam expressed confidence that Tijani’s return as Country Director will deepen the organisation’s impact in Nigeria, leveraging his institutional memory, policy expertise, and strong understanding of the local context.
The organisation has called on partners, stakeholders, and the public to join in welcoming Tijani Ahmed Hamza back to the Nigeria team, as he takes on the responsibility of advancing Oxfam’s mission of social justice, equity, and inclusive development.
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