Hassana Alidou

Hassana Alidou was born on March 29, 1963, in the capital city of Niamey, Niger to parents Haoua Kone and Boubacar Alidou. Hassana was born a twin with her identical sister, Ousseina Alidou. Together with their three siblings –Maman Alidou, Safiya Alidou and junior sister Fatouma Alidou – they navigated an incredible life thanks to the unconditional love of their grandmother Hajiya Kani Sidibe, grandfather Toumani Sidibe, Uncle Alhaji Maman Ousmane Sidibe, Aunt Mariama Sidibe and The Quebecoise Catholic Sisters of Notre Dame du Perpetual Secours (Sister Micheline Godbout) who founded The Ecole Canada in Niamey, Niger. The love, charity, and generosity bestowed on Hassana at a young age shaped her entire life. It was impossible to know Hassana and not experience her care, kindness, and hospitality. Hassana was a woman of faith who loved God and loved her neighbor as herself. Her life story was filled with love, compassion, integrity and excellence at the highest levels.

In 1983, at the age of twenty, Hassana became mother to Nafissa. In 1987, her son Halirou (affectionately known as Papy) was born. As a young mother she valued the pursuit of education. Hassana began her education in Niger and in 1987 she graduated from the University of Niamey with a Bachelor of Science degree in Linguistics. In 1988, she immigrated to the United States to pursue her graduate studies. Hassana attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, earning a Masters in Linguistics in 1991 and PhD in Linguistics in 1997. During the 1990s, Hassana decided to make the United States her second home. She managed to always keep one foot in Africa and one foot in America, but in truth Hassana was a global citizen.

Within a short time, Hassana became an accomplished scholar of linguistics, educational policy, cross-cultural and gender studies, and a path-breaking diplomat on behalf of Niger, Africa, and humanity at large. She is widely known for her work in helping community-based organizations, national governments, and international institutions work together to achieve educational equality, gender equality, and economic development. Hassana was ardently committed to the principles of fairness, justice, and inclusion, always embracing people of various backgrounds, races, religions, and cultures. As a university professor at Texas A&M University, Alliant International University, Union Institute and University, these principles shone through in her teaching, and in the guidance, she provided her students.

In the course of her academic and consultancy career, Hassana became a distinguished university professor as a result of authoring several scholarly studies. While her original expertise was in linguistics and education, her work broadened into practical applications to reach and uplift rural African women via agricultural and microfinance projects. Hassana shared her expertise and worked with several international organizations such as the German Foundation for International Development, the Dutch Development Agency, the World Bank, Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), Rwanda’s Ministry of Education, and the Norwegian International Development Agency, amongst many other organizations. Furthermore, Hassana loved her community deeply, and made herself available to help in big and small ways. She served as president of the Conseil des Nigeriens aux Etats-Unis D’Amerique (CONUSA), an organization representing the interests of the Nigerien diaspora in the United States.

Hassana’s path towards a diplomatic career began in 2009 as Coordinator of UNESCO’s Flagship Program on Literacy for Empowerment (LIFE) that covered some 35 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. A year later she was appointed as UNESCO’s Chief of Basic to Higher Education Program and Lifelong Learning in Dakar, Senegal. In 2013, Hassana was appointed as Director of the UNESCO Multi-Sectoral Office in Abuja (Nigeria) and UNESCO representative to Nigeria, Benin, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra-Leone and Togo. From 2015 to 2018 she was appointed by President Mahamadou Issoufou as Ambassador (Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary) of the Republic of Niger to the United States and Canada. In this role she worked tirelessly in representing the interest and the people of Niger, striving to modernize the perception of Niger and Africa on the global stage. She believed that serving in this role was not only the highest honor but the greatest act of patriotism she could perform.

Hassana was a champion and advocate for women and girls. No matter the position Hassana occupied, she worked diligently and relentlessly to improve the lives and conditions of those who are underprivileged. She founded the Alliance for African Women Education and Leadership (AAWEL) and served as its international coordinator. At its core AAWEL was designed to support underprivileged young girls and women in the areas of literacy education, financial literacy, leadership and economic empowerment. Through her initiative, AAWEL also promoted social cohesion and conflict resolution in Niger. She was a member of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women that works on global issues of concern to women with the objective of leaving no one behind. More recently she was advisor to the Global Fund for Widows that provided resources and support to help empower widows in Niger.

As a youth, Hassana was a national award-winning track and field athlete, the persistence she displayed in athletics is the same she used to face challenging times and reach her goals with dignity and grace. Through her hosting, dancing, eating and contagious laughter she strived to bring people together and be a unifier. Hassana would tell you today her most prized title was “mother and grandma.” She enjoyed nothing more than hearing her grandchildren’s laughter and stories about their day. She treasured her time with family and valued them beyond all professional accolades.

Hassana means beautiful in Arabic, and her life reflected her name. She leaves a powerful legacy. She is survived by two children – her daughter Dr. Nafissa Cisse Egbuonye (Chisom Egbuonye) and son Halirou Cisse. She is preceded in death by her parents, her elder brother Maman Alidou (Alpha) and Safiya Alidou. She is survived by two siblings – her identical twin-sister Professor Ousseina Alidou (Alamin Mazrui) and younger sister Fatouma Alidou (Yaou Mahaman). She is also survived by two grandchildren, Marcel Usman and Emmeline Hasna Egbuonye, two nieces Hannatou Maman Boukari and Salma Alamin Mazrui, and nephews Abdourahamane Maman Boukari and Toumani (Abba) Maman Boukari, and by many beloved relatives and friends in Niger, USA and across the world. Hassana Alidou, aged 60, died peacefully in the state of New Jersey, United Sates of America (USA), at her house in the city of Somerset. May she rest in eternal peace, and may Jannatul Firdaws (Paradise) be her last abode. Amen.

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