Dr. Abdu Mukhtar has been the Director of Industrial and Trade Development at African Development Bank since September 2017. Prior to that, he was the Chief Strategy Officer for the Dangote Group. He is also a partner with Sahel Capital.

Abdu has a 22-year career in both the private and public sectors. Until recently he was the Group Managing Director/CEO of the Abuja Investments Company Ltd. where he oversaw portfolio investments and joint-venture projects. Dr. Abdu had held several positions including Senior Special Assistant on Economic Matters to Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory Minister; Special Adviser to the pioneer Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); Transaction Adviser at the Nigerian Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE); Consultant with Pittiglio Rabin Todd & Mcgrath (PRTM) Consulting, Boston; Consultant, Harvard Center for International Development; and Research Associate at the Boston University Medical Center. Abdu is the current Chairman/Co-Founder of Grassroot Microfinance Bank, Kano. He also sits on the Boards of several nonprofit organizations including LEAP Africa, the Nollywood Foundation, African University of Science and Technology (AUST) Abuja, and the Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) Global Advisory Board.

In 2006, he was selected by the African Leadership Institute as an Archbishop Desmond Tutu Fellow. He was also nominated for the Nigeria’s CEO of the Year Award by This Day Newspapers in 2009.

Abdu holds a Master in Public Administration (MPA) degree from Harvard University Kennedy School of Government; a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Harvard Business School; a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine from Boston University; and a Doctor of Medicine (MBBS) degree from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.