Dr. Jabiri Bakari, Director General, Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority

As Tanzania’s 2025 general elections unfolded amid one of the most widespread internet disruptions in the country’s history, access across the nation was sharply limited. Mobile data services and social media platforms such as WhatsApp, X, and Facebook became inaccessible without VPNs. Network monitors, including NetBlocks and the Internet Society, reported a drastic drop in connectivity from mid-morning on election day, describing it as a complete national shutdown. The incident highlighted the role of the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), the body responsible for overseeing the country’s digital infrastructure.

At the centre of this scrutiny was its Director General, Dr. Jabiri Kuwe Bakari, who has led the authority since April 2021. A technologist, scholar, and public administrator with over twenty-five years of experience in information and communications technology, Dr Bakari’s career spans academia, public service, and regulatory leadership, making him one of the key figures shaping Tanzania’s digital transformation.

He holds a PhD in Computer and Systems Sciences from Stockholm University in Sweden, specialising in ICT risk and security management. Earlier, he obtained a master’s degree in Engineering, specialising in Data Communications, from the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, and a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Dar es Salaam. 

Before joining TCRA, Dr. Bakari played a key role in developing Tanzania’s e-government framework. He was the founding Chief Executive Officer of the former e-Government Agency from 2012 to 2020, and later became the first Director General of its successor, the e-Government Authority, after the enactment of the e-Government Act No. 10 of 2019. His earlier accomplishments include establishing the Tanzania Education and Research Network (TERNET) in 2008, where he served as Executive Secretary and contributed to building digital connectivity among universities and research institutions.

At TCRA, Dr Bakari oversees the regulation of the communications sector, including telecommunications, broadcasting, postal, and electronic services. He has published research on ICT risk, digital governance, and information security in international journals and professional forums, including the IEEE and the Information Systems Security Association. His work consistently advocates for home-grown, context-appropriate ICT solutions that serve Tanzania’s specific development needs rather than imported regulatory models.