Jabiri Kuwe Bakari (Ph.D) is the Director General of Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) following the presidential appointment in April, 2021. Since his appointment, Dr Jabiri has been able to transform TCRA by bringing in new and refreshed climate, not only in its own internal processes but also transforming the Authority culture towards a digital economy which consequently propelled Tanzanian economy to the digital age which is being relied upon by both local and global stakeholders.

Dr. Bakari is a Tanzanian pracademic who holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Computer and System Sciences from Stockholm University in Sweden (2007), specialized in ICT Risks and Security Management, a Master’s of Science Degree (Engineering) in Data Communication from the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Sheffield University, UK (1999), and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science from the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania (1996). His experience spans both the academic and practical realms. He is also a researcher, trainer, analyst and advisor of repute with over 25 years of experience in ICT Management.

He has been the first CEO of the former e-Government Agency who took the lead to establish it from its inception in April, 2012 to January, 2020. He also spearheaded the Agency’s transformation to become e-Government Authority (e-GA) following enactment of the e-Government Act No.10 of 2019, where he became the first Director General of the same until April, 2021. During his time at e-GA, he led the institution from its infancy to a well-established and reputable institution with notable achievements ranging from developed shared public Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) systems and infrastructures, improved e-Government consultancy and technical support systems as well as coordinated e-Government initiatives through implementation of e-Government Frameworks, Standards and Guidelines. Dr. Bakari also championed the philosophy of “Home-Grown ICT solutions to solve ICT challenges and build resilient e-Government solutions”.

Prior to his services at e-GA, he worked for five (5) years (2007 - 2012) as a Senior Lecturer and Director of Institute of Educational Technology (IET) at the Open University of Tanzania (OUT), the post he took after ten (10) years (1996 – 2007) of holding various technical, management and leadership posts at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) including that of Associate Director of the University Computing Centre (UCC). While at the UCC, he played a key role in transforming the Centre to become a Limited Liability Company in 2000, where he became the Deputy Managing Director until when he left for his Ph.D. studies in 2003. On his return, in 2007, he was reinstated as the Deputy Managing Director, in charge of Finance, Administration and ICT Services.

Working as a Director and Lecturer at the Institute of Educational Technology (IET) at the OUT, he was the force behind transformation of the institute that witnessed establishment of ICT Training Centers countrywide especially the regional centers. As a Cisco Regional Academy Coordinator and a Certified Cisco Academy Instructor, he played a key role in introducing Cisco Academies in Tanzania in 2000. He also spearheaded establishment of the Tanzania Education and Research Network (TERNET) in 2008 and became its first Executive Secretary until 2012.

His main research is in the field of ICT Security Management in which he published and presented a number of articles and papers in Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP), and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) International Conferences.

Moreover, Dr. Bakari is an active member of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), Tanzanian Chapter, where he also served as a Vice President, between 2011 and 2015. He is also a Certified Director and has been a part time facilitator of Directorship programs focusing on ICT Governance at the Institute of Directors in Tanzania (IoDT) from 2017 to date.