By Emma Ujah,  Abuja Bureau Chief 

The Ag. Director of Corporate Communications of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mrs. Hakama Sidi-Ali, has won the 2026 edition of the National Spokespersons Award.

The recognition was announced during the 6th National Spokespersons Awards and the 4th Economic Confidential Annual Lecture, organised by Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), publishers of PRNigeria, Economic Confidential and Spokespersons Digest, in Abuja at the weekend. 

The organisers stated: “With the latest honour, Sidi-Ali completed an unprecedented hat-trick at the National Spokespersons Awards, becoming the first communications professional to progress from winning a sector-specific award twice consecutively to claiming the overall Spokesperson of the Year title.

“Her achievement comes just three years after she broke another historic barrier when CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso appointed her in 2023 as the first female spokesperson in the Central Bank’s 66-year history.”

In 2024, Mrs. Sidi-Ali won the Outstanding Spokesperson – Banking Sector award, becoming the first female banking communicator to receive the honour and retained the same title in 2025.

The climax came in 2026, when the awards jury elevated her to Spokesperson of the Year, recognising her influence beyond the banking industry and acknowledging her role in shaping national economic communication, strengthening public confidence in the Central Bank and projecting Nigeria’s monetary policy on the global stage.

Image Merchants said the award followed a rigorous evaluation process based on four key criteria: impact, innovation and originality, campaign reach, and quality of evidence.

“The jury acknowledged her efforts in building a proactive communications architecture at the apex bank through regular Monetary Policy Committee briefings, stakeholder engagements, investor relations, media management and international advocacy.

“These initiatives also earned international recognition, with the CBN’s communications campaign emerging as a finalist at the 2026 International Public Relations Association (IPRA) Golden World Awards,” the organisers said.

Earlier in the year, Sidi-Ali was honoured as the African Iconic Female Spokesperson of the Year at the African International Women Recognition Awards (AIWRA) 2026, following a continent-wide public voting process Chairperson of the Awards Jury, Professor Saudat Abdulbaqi, disclosed that the 2026 edition attracted 171 nominations from across the country.

She explained that after an initial screening, only entries meeting the required standards of clarity, measurable impact and verifiable evidence progressed to subsequent stages of evaluation, eventually producing 30 finalists across 15 categories.

Speaking at the event, Alhaji Yushau A. Shuaib, Chief Executive Officer of IMPR, said the National Spokespersons Awards and the Economic Confidential Annual Lecture were established to promote informed national discourse, celebrate professional excellence and strengthen strategic communication in Nigeria.