Maryam Uwais

Career Uwais attended Ahmadu Bello University in 1981 and obtained her LL.M in 1985. The Nigeria Institute of Advanced Legal Studies awarded her a certificate of honor in Advanced practice and Procedure that same year and Legal drafting in 1989. She worked as a consultant for several organizations including the Open Society Initiative for West Africa, UNICEF, World Bank, and the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom. She has also worked as a Non-Executive Director and Member of Board of Directors of Stanbic IBTC Holdings.

Activism Her advocacy has been on gender related issues and feminism. She quoted, "...child marriage as the worst form of violence against the girl-child."

Uwais was the National Coordinator of At-Risk-Children Programme sponsored and owned by the Federal Government of Nigeria. Most of her work also touches child marriage in Nigeria and proposing Women's empowerment.

Media and public image She was one of the speakers for TEDxYaba 2017.

Fellowships Kashim Ibrahim Fellowship Fellow of World Economic Forum, 2019. Nigeria Leadership Initiatives advisory group to accelerate progress of the sustainable development goals (SDG) by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Awards and recognitions In 2011, Goodluck Johnathan awarded Maryam, Saudatu Mahdi and others a National Honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic. The International Women's Society awarded her that same year with the Humanitarian of the Year Award. In 2012, she was the recipient of This Day Awards for women of service in Nigeria.

In 2018, Uwais was honoured with the ‘Public Social Intrapreneur’ award by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.

Publications