Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami

Born on October 20, 1972 in Pantami, Gombe State, Nigeria, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami combined both traditional Qur’anic studies and formal education from a young age. He began with a Tsangaya (Qur’an) school and later attended Government Science Secondary School in Gombe. He then studied Computer Science at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), earning a BTech in 2003, followed by an MSc in Computer Science and an MBA in Technology Management. He later obtained a PhD in Computer Information Systems from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland.

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On the Islamic side, Prof. Pantami is also a respected cleric and preacher. He has served as a Jumu’ah Chief Imam for over 20 years in Nigeria and in the UK, is a member of the Shariah Board of Jaiz Bank, and deputy secretary-general of the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria. He has given many lectures (in Hausa, English and Arabic), authored religious books (on Qur’an virtues; marriage; Islam & politics; etc.), and takes part in dawah, Islamic education, and efforts toward peaceful coexistence.

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In his professional/academic career, Prof. Pantami has held multiple leadership roles. He lectured in Information Technology at ATBU, served as Head of Technical Writing at the Islamic University of Madinah, became Director-General/CEO of Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in 2016, and in 2019 was appointed Minister of Communications & Digital Economy. Under his leadership, key policies such as the National Digital Economy Policy & Strategy (2020-2030), National Broadband Plan (2020-2025), and steps to improve broadband penetration and cybersecurity frameworks were implemented.