Flight Lieutenant Kafayat Sanni, Nigeria’s first female fighter pilot, has graduated with top honors from the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, receiving the Best Overall Student award on Friday, June 20. Sanni’s achievement marks a milestone for gender inclusion in Nigeria’s military, inspiring women across Africa.
Sanni, commissioned in 2019 as Nigeria’s first female combat pilot, excelled in strategic studies and leadership, outperforming 80 peers from 10 African countries. Her thesis on counter-terrorism strategies earned praise, with Ghana’s Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. Gen. Thomas Oppong-Peprah, lauding her discipline. Sanni, who flies the Alpha Jet against Boko Haram, dedicated the award to Nigerian women.
The Nigerian Air Force, which sponsored her training, plans to deploy Sanni in senior roles, per Legit.ng. Her success follows her 2020 U.S. Air Force training, making her a role model amid Nigeria’s 5,000 female military personnel, per NAF data. Analysts note her achievement could boost recruitment, with only 10% of NAF pilots being women.