Every foundation begins with a question. For the Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi Foundation (KIAF), that question comes from the life of its founder: how can opportunity change the trajectory of a person, a community and a generation?
A childhood shaped by practical skills
Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi’s journey began in Hadejia, Jigawa State. He was raised in Makwalla, a community where artisanship, trade and practical skills were part of everyday life. His father encouraged him to pursue education and to look beyond the immediate possibilities around him.
That encouragement mattered. It set him on a path that few around him could have predicted.
Education as the first door
He went on to study Computer Science at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi. Later, he continued learning through executive and leadership programmes at institutions including MIT Sloan School of Management, Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge Judge Business School and IMD Business School.
A career in technology and public service
His professional journey took him through technology, systems architecture, banking and public-sector transformation. He worked at Galaxy Backbone and served as a Technology Architect at the Central Bank of Nigeria before joining the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in 2017. In August 2019, he was appointed Director-General/CEO of NITDA.
His leadership record includes work in digital literacy, human-capital development, innovation, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, technology infrastructure and education.
From a life story to a philosophy
For KIAF, his story is not simply a biography. It is the starting point for a conviction that guides every programme the Foundation supports:
Where a person starts should not determine how far that person can go.
KIAF exists so that more young Nigerians can find the doors that education and opportunity opened for him. Read more about our founder or explore our work.
