ABDIHAFID MUSTAF ELMI
Nairobi,Kenya
Summary
Results-driven Senior Project Manager with 6+ years of progressive leadership experience bridging government policy and technical infrastructure delivery across East Africa and the Horn of Africa. Pioneered landmark digital initiatives — including the first data centre and cloud infrastructure deployments in Somalia — while delivering complex, multi-stakeholder programmes for IGAD, the World Bank, and national government agencies. Adept at managing concurrent multi-million-dollar projects through full lifecycle — from policy design and stakeholder alignment to procurement, execution, and compliance handover. Combines deep expertise in telecommunications infrastructure, cross-border digital integration, and civil-service transformation with a proven track record of 100% contractual compliance. Seeking to leverage East African development experience within Canada's innovative public-sector and technology landscape.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Project Manager – Digital Infrastructure
Ministry of Communications & Technology
Mogadishu, Somalia
01.2021 - Current
- Lead end-to-end project management for the national ICT infrastructure programme, coordinating donor agencies, government ministries, and international vendors across concurrent workstreams.
- Directed multi-disciplinary teams of 12+ engineers and policy advisors; implemented a hybrid Agile/Waterfall governance model; established budget controls and reporting frameworks aligned to World Bank fiduciary standards; facilitated cross-ministerial policy workshops to embed compliance protocols.
- Delivered Somalia's FIRST national data centre — a landmark infrastructure project valued at USD $4.2M — on schedule and within a 3% cost variance.
- Established Somalia's FIRST local cloud infrastructure, reducing government data hosting costs by an estimated 35% and eliminating reliance on offshore servers.
- Managed simultaneous execution of five major ICT workstreams per quarter, maintaining 100% contractual compliance across all deliverables.
- Reduced inter-agency data processing time by 40% through deployment of integrated digital workflows and standardised data-exchange protocols.
- Secured stakeholder alignment across 8 government ministries and 3 international donor agencies, achieving zero major scope disputes throughout programme lifecycle.
- Federal Government of Somalia
Technical & Operational Advisor – Regional Digital Integration
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) / World Bank
Djibouti, Djibouti
03.2020 - 12.2021
- Provide specialist technical and operational project management advisory services to the EA-RDIP and HoAGDP programme offices, ensuring deliverables met IGAD policy frameworks and World Bank safeguard requirements.
- Conducted regional needs assessments; drafted policy briefs adopted by four member states; designed cross-border data governance frameworks; coordinated quarterly progress reporting to IGAD Secretariat and World Bank task teams.
- Contributed to policy and technical frameworks for the Eastern Africa Regional Digital Integration Project (EA-RDIP), influencing broadband expansion strategies across 6 nations.
- Provided operational advisory for the Horn of Africa Gateway Development Project (HoAGDP), supporting connectivity infrastructure valued at over USD $120M.
- Produced 14 technical advisory reports adopted by IGAD member states, directly shaping national ICT policies in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Djibouti.
- Facilitated 9 multi-country stakeholder workshops, achieving consensus on cross-border data exchange protocols and interoperability standards.
- Djibouti / Remote – East Africa Region
Project Management Consultant – Civil Service Digitalisation & HR Compliance
Independent Consultancy
Mogadishu, Somalia
06.2019 - 02.2021
- Design and implement digital transformation roadmaps for civil service HR records and establish compliance frameworks for NGO clients aligned to international governance standards.
- Led discovery workshops; deployed digital records management systems; drafted policy manuals; trained 80+ government staff on digital compliance protocols; coordinated audits with international oversight bodies.
- Digitised over 15,000 civil service employee records, improving retrieval accuracy by 65% and enabling the first-ever auditable HR compliance framework for the federal civil service.
- Developed HR policy and compliance manuals for 5 international NGOs, achieving full alignment with UN and donor reporting standards.
- Reduced HR-related compliance incident rates by 50% within 12 months through structured policy training and automated reporting dashboards.
- Clients: Federal Government of Somalia; International NGOs
Project Coordinator – Urban Planning & Building Permits
Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA)
Kampala, Uganda
08.2017 - 05.2019
- Coordinate planning, execution, and cost-monitoring for concurrent residential development projects and permit review workstreams.
- Administered concurrent planning workflows for up to 5 quarterly residential projects; liaised with engineers, architects, legal teams, and municipal authorities; implemented cost-tracking dashboards; ensured full compliance with Uganda National Building Code standards.
- Coordinated planning and execution of up to 5 concurrent quarterly residential projects with combined budget oversight of UGX 2.8 billion (~USD $750K), achieving 100% contractual compliance.
- Streamlined building permit review processes, reducing average approval turnaround time by 30% through digitalised workflow management.
- Managed cross-functional stakeholder engagement across 12 municipal departments and 40+ private developers, maintaining zero regulatory compliance breaches.
Education
Master of Science - Project Planning and Management
University of Nairobi
Nairobi, KenyaBachelor of Science - Human Resource Management
Kampala International University
Kampala, UgandaSkills
- Strategic Planning & Execution
- Stakeholder Management
- Telecommunications Infrastructure
- Cross-Border Digital Integration
- Data Centre & Cloud Deployment
- Government Policy Implementation
- Agile & Waterfall Methodologies
- Budgeting & Cost Control
- Risk & Compliance Management
- Civil Service & HR Transformation
- Urban Planning & Building Permits
- Vendor & Contract Management
- Programme Monitoring & Evaluation
- ATS-Optimised Reporting
- Intergovernmental Coordination
Key Projects And Landmark Achievements
- Somalia National Data Centre (2022), Core implementing team member for the establishment of Somalia's first national-grade data centre; project delivered on time with USD $4.2M budget managed to ±3% variance.
- Somalia Local Cloud Infrastructure (2023), Led technical deployment of the first domestically hosted government cloud environment, a historic first for the country.
- Eastern Africa Regional Digital Integration Project (EA-RDIP), Technical and operational advisor; contributed to broadband policy frameworks impacting 6 nations.
- Horn of Africa Gateway Development Project (HoAGDP), Operational advisory for USD $120M+ connectivity infrastructure programme.
- IGAD Digital Policy Framework, Contributed to multiple IGAD working groups, producing policy instruments adopted by member states.
- Federal Civil Service Digitalisation, Spearheaded digitisation of 15,000+ HR records for the Somali federal civil service, creating the first-ever auditable compliance framework.
Languages
- Arabic
- English
- Swahili
- Somali, Native
- Arabic, Fluent
- English, Professional Proficiency
- Swahili, Conversational
References
References and supporting documentation (including academic transcripts, project certificates, and letters of recommendation) available upon request.
Professional Development And Certifications
- Project Management Professional (PMP) – In Progress, Project Management Institute (PMI), 2026
- Advanced Project Management, Kenya Institute of Management, 2022
- HR Management in Complex Environments, UNHCR / Geneva Learning Foundation, 2021
- Government Policy Design & Implementation, African School of Governance, 2020
- Data Centre Infrastructure Management, Uptime Institute (Online), 2020
- Agile Project Management (AgilePM Foundation), APMG International, 2019
- Technology for Development (T4D), World Bank Open Learning Campus, 2019
Personal Information
- Specialization: Digital Infrastructure & Government Policy
- Title: Senior Project Manager
Languages
English
Proficient
C2
Swahili
Proficient
C2
Arabic
Intermediate
B1
Timeline
Senior Project Manager – Digital Infrastructure
Ministry of Communications & Technology
01.2021 - Current
Technical & Operational Advisor – Regional Digital Integration
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) / World Bank
03.2020 - 12.2021
Project Management Consultant – Civil Service Digitalisation & HR Compliance
Independent Consultancy
06.2019 - 02.2021
Project Coordinator – Urban Planning & Building Permits
Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA)
08.2017 - 05.2019
Master of Science - Project Planning and Management
University of Nairobi
Bachelor of Science - Human Resource Management
Kampala International University