Kabir Usman

Programme leader with over 20 years in Nigeria's agriculture and agri-input sectors, with direct seed-sector business development experience: working across DFID's Propcom Mai-Karfi programme and CFAN, developed a business model with seed companies, including Notore Seeds (Notore Chemical Industries), Premier Seed Nigeria Limited, Seed Co Nigeria, and The Seed Project Co. Ltd., to give smallholder farmers access to improved seed varieties (Vitamin A maize, hybrid rice, iron pearl millet). Deep, tested agro-dealer and input-distribution networks across Kaduna, Niger and wider Northern Nigeria, including partnership with Syngenta and CropLife to promote Good Agronomic Practice and the Safe Use of Pesticides.

Extensive field-team leadership (32-person and 18-officer teams), multi-stakeholder coordination across donor, government and private-sector actors (USG, FCDO, DFID, GAC), and commercial marketing background from Nokia and TADCO.

Native

Hausa speaker, holds an MBA and PMP certification.

Cash for Food Sector Lead - COOPI – Cooperazione Internazionale - Sokoto State, Nigeria

(2025-11 - 2026-07)

• Technical lead on a USG-funded emergency response project, managing field operations, budgets and reporting across five LGAs alongside consortium partners, sequencing activities against seasonal supply and security conditions.
• Led market intelligence on farmer demand and cash-transfer effectiveness, ensuring adaptive program strategies.
• Represented program in Cash Working Groups, aligning interventions with government and INGO partners.
• Developed SOPs, tools, and reporting systems to strengthen accountability and donor compliance.

Senior Programme Team Lead - Zahra Energy Consultant Ltd - Zaria, Kaduna, Nigeria

(2023-07 - 2025-10)

• Led a 15-person team delivering commercial infrastructure projects across North-East Nigeria; owned budget, delivery timelines and quality of execution.
• Structured and closed an $80M infrastructure deployment deal with NXT, creating 2,700+ direct jobs, managing the full commercial process from negotiation to close.
• Coordinated with government and private-sector bodies on regulatory and operational alignment; kept founders and senior management briefed on performance against targets.

Programme Manager - GAC – Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF) - Kano, Nigeria

(2023-01 - 2023-06)

• Managed a USD 15M portfolio and led six teams; owned procurement, logistics and supplier negotiations to secure best-price terms.
• Ran due-diligence and risk-assessment processes to inform investment decisions across enterprise-IIW portfolio.
• Conducted client and channel analysis to guide investment decisions and campaign briefs.
• Produced donor-compliant reports with actionable recommendations, aligning outcomes with resilience and commercialization goals.

Senior Policy Consultant - National Cooperative Financing Agency of Nigeria (CFAN) - FCT, Abuja

(2021-09 - 2022-03)

• Led 13 zonal managers and advised the CEO on operational, financial and digitization improvements for a 247,500-member organization.
• Built commercial relationships with HarvestPlus, FMN, Kellogg's and seed companies, including Notore Seeds, Premier Seed Nigeria, Seed Co Nigeria and The Seed Project Co. Ltd., developing a business model to give smallholder farmers access to improved seed varieties (Vitamin A maize, hybrid rice, iron pearl millet).

Group Intervention Manager - FCDO-Funded LINKS Project (Tetra Tech) - FCT, Abuja

(2020-01 - 2021-04)

• Managed a team that closed an NGN 750M private-sector deal with Jigawa State Government.
• Built business cases for private-sector partners to access inputs and finance, including a transport-impact study during COVID-19 supply disruption.
• Designed and executed digital-first campaigns with local partners to increase adoption of agricultural inputs.
• Developed positioning and branding strategies for private-sector partners, reinforcing trust and market perception.
• Built replicable commercialization models that strengthened farmer uptake across priority states.

Market Manager - DFID – Propcom Mai-Karfi Programme (Palladium) - FCT, Abuja

(2018-04 - 2019-12)

• Led mechanization activities and supply-chain coordination across Tier-1, Tier-2 and KKJ partner states.
• Partnered with Syngenta and CropLife member companies to promote Good Agronomic Practice (GAP) and the Safe Use of Pesticides, deploying Crop Protection Products (CPP) responsibly among smallholder farmers.
• Led value-chain analyses to inform political-economy work, monitoring national agricultural policy changes affecting market development and identifying agents of change.
• Mentored and supervised 18 field officers; handled contracts, MoUs and monthly performance reviews against operational targets.

Intervention Manager - DFID – Propcom Mai-Karfi Programme (Palladium) - FCT, Abuja

(2015-04 - 2018-03)

• Led a 32-person field team integrating 12,000+ farmers into an e-technology supply platform across Niger, Gombe, Taraba and Benue States.
• Facilitated 50,750+ input purchases through cooperative supply channels to 10,150 farmers across 16 LGAs.
• Built and managed distributed field teams, setting clear objectives and delivering feedback to achieve program milestones.
• Maintained intelligence on seed availability, agro-dealer coverage, and farmer demand to guide seasonal priorities.
• Oversaw performance reporting and risk management, ensuring program accountability and donor compliance.

Regional Sales Manager - Tough-Stuff International (TSI) - Kano, Northern Region

(2011-05 - 2015-01)

• Managed a USD 17M regional budget and 21 staff across administration, operations, strategy, field, marketing, sales, logistics, manpower and finance — reporting to TSI UK HQ.
• Spearheaded regional recruitment, procurement, and budget reporting; built and maintained NGO and government relationships across Northern Nigeria.
• Procured and distributed 1,500 solar kits to institutional and individual customers, managing inventory and logistics end-to-end.

Senior Marketing Manager - Nokia Corporation (Blue Arrow) - FCT, Abuja

(2008-02 - 2011-04)

• Managed a USD 3.5M business-partnership budget; monitored competitor pricing nationwide and built a regional product-performance database to inform stock and clearance decisions.
• Drafted business-area marketing plans and promotional communications materials, liaising with telecom providers to align messaging and market positioning.
• Trained sales and marketing teams on product roadmaps and led major customer-loyalty events.

Assistant Registrar, Finance & Administration - Institute of Chartered Economists of Nigeria - Kano

(2005-03 - 2008-01)

• Established financial-management systems and grew membership from zero to 31,000+ within two years through operational and outreach improvements.

Regional Coordinator, North-Western States - Institute of Treasury Management of Nigeria - Kano

(2004-09 - 2005-01)

• Managed programmes and finance administration across all North-Western States, leading 15 programme officers and controlling procurement within budget.

Business Development Manager - TADCO Agribusiness Nigeria Limited - Kano

(2003-10 - 2004-08)

• Managed the supplier base and grouped local farmers into cooperatives for product aggregation, maintaining quality and contract compliance.
• Founded the Moringa Cooperative Association with 1,500+ farmers across Kano and Jigawa, supporting 15,000+ MT under Good Agricultural Practice standards — sourcing raw material for local and international institutional buyers.

Credit Supervisor - Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Development Finance Office - Yola

(2002-08 - 2003-09)

• Registered agricultural credit facilities and mobilized over NGN 70M (0% interest) from CBN SMEIS funds via commercial banks for smallholder cooperatives.

Master of Business Administration - MBA - University of Calabar, Cross River (2004-08 - 2006-06)

B.Sc. (Honours) - Business Administration - Bayero University, Kano (1998-06 - 2002-06)

Postgraduate Diploma - Information Technology - Hands-On Institute of Information Technology (HIIT) (2007-01 - 2008-02)