From A Humble Background To A Cabinet Secretary,Top banker in Cabinet Hails From Mandera County

Mandera has one of its leading lights and top role model as Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Industrialization and Enterprise Development. His unique appointment as one of the very few residents of Mandera to ever be named to the national Cabinet since independence has made local people proud and cautiously optimistic. Previously, neighboring Garissa and Wajir counties have been luckier with Cabinet appointments. 

Adan’s appointment to the key industrialization docket has raised the hopes of the inhabitants of the harsh arid and semi-arid county that someone can rise from such a humble background and make it to the top.

Adan Abdulla Mohamed was born December 1963 in Mandera. He built an admirable career in the banking industry where he worked for Barclays Bank for over 15 years in different parts of the world. 

An eloquent speaker with a sharp mind, Adan often reminds Kenyans of the need to strengthen linkages between innovation and enterprise development to grow the economy.

During the Connected Kenya Conference on ICT, Adan championed the call for synergy between the private sector and the public sector and wider networking with inventors.

Participants still remember one of Adan’s memorable quotes at the conference: “Innovation is about doing things differently to achieve efficiency.  Lots of enterprises big and small come from least expected areas and remain key to driving the economy.” 

Another quote from him that Kenyans and leaders can borrow is: “Think broadly…think radically. Do not be afraid to adapt to technology.”

Adan served as the Chief Executive Officer of Barclays Kenya for 10 years, a period during which the bank registered impressive growth.

Because of his outstanding performance at Barclays Bank, he was promoted to the role of Chief Administrative Officer with responsibilities covering 10 countries within Barclays Group in Africa.

Before joining Barclays, Adan honed his skills at PricewaterhouseCoopers where he worked as a chartered accountant for seven years in London. He is an MBA graduate of the prestigious Harvard Business School in the US. His academic star shone when he attained a First Class honors Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Nairobi.

Adan is married to Nafisa and they have five children. He was nominated and consequently appointed Cabinet Secretary on 15 May 2013.Despite the challenges facing the North Eastern region, its potential for growth through significant untapped wealth remains obscured due to past draconic laws and ineffective leadership. 

With his financial background and expertise in banking, Adan could shape the ministry as the cornerstone for an industrial economy and new enterprise creation throughout Kenya including his native county of Mandera.