Najiba's Biography

Najiba Bahar was born on September 13, 1989, in Zardnai village, Shahristan District, Daikundi Province, Afghanistan. She grew up in a remote and underdeveloped area, but from an early age, she was interested in pursuing education. In 2007, Najiba graduated first in her class from Ghaf Girls’ High School, becoming a role model for many girls in her community. After graduation, she taught at the same school for two years before earning a Government of India scholarship to study Computer Science at Dar Nizam College, Osmania University, where she specialized in Database Systems.

Upon returning to Afghanistan, Najiba joined the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum in January 2012. There, she made a lasting mark by establishing the first electronic personnel database for the Ministry — a major step toward transparency and accountability in a system long burdened by bureaucracy and corruption.

In her pursuit of higher education, Najiba faced discrimination and institutional obstacles that cost her an opportunity to study in Australia. But she never gave up. She later won a competitive Japanese scholarship and began her Master’s in Information Systems at the Kobe Institute of Computing in Japan in 2014. Her thesis focused on developing an Integrated Miner’s Safety Monitoring System.

After earning her Master’s degree in 2016, Najiba returned home to Afghanistan with renewed energy and vision. She rejoined the Ministry to serve her country and worked to promote modernization through technology and digital governance. Najiba believed that embracing electronic systems could improve government efficiency, empower citizens, and help Afghanistan move toward a fairer and more transparent future.

Najiba dreamed of pursuing a PhD and continuing to serve Afghanistan through her knowledge and dedication. She was preparing for her wedding in July 2017 — a celebration of love and new beginnings — when tragedy struck. On July 24, 2017, Najiba was killed in a Taliban suicide attack in Kabul, along with 34 other civilians, most of them her colleagues from the Ministry. The attack targeted them simply for being government employees and Hazaras. To honor her life, dreams, and service, the Najiba Foundation was established. The Foundation carries forward her vision of education, especially for girls and young people in Afghanistan’s most deprived regions.