Farouk Mohammed Dalhatu

Farouk Mohammed Dalhatu is the founder, Executive Chairman and Managing Director of Al Zira'a Tech, a company working at the intersection of agri-tech, IT solutions and automation. He founded Al Zira'a Tech after identifying a significant gap in the availability of technology solutions that could streamline agricultural processes and raise productivity. Under his leadership, the company has built a suite of solutions and the infrastructure to support them, helping clients improve operational efficiency and compete more effectively in their markets. Farouk built and mentored the company's leadership team and continues to drive its strategic direction, with a focus on how automation, data and intelligent systems can transform production and value chains in Africa.

Before Al Zira'a Tech, Farouk co-founded Farm To You Ltd., where he served as Executive Director of IT and led the strategic planning and execution of its technology and business infrastructure. Working closely with vendors and partners, he helped build a more direct and efficient farm-to-market supply chain, gaining practical insight into the logistics, quality control and partnerships needed to move African products reliably from producers to customers.

His corporate career gave him a strong foundation in governance, compliance and data, which are critical for any business aiming to meet international standards. As Manager of IT Governance at IHS Towers, he led governance and security operations across 11 countries on 4 continents, implementing the COBIT 2019 framework to align technology with business strategy and international compliance requirements. He also designed and executed IHS Towers' data quality and AI governance framework, strengthening data-driven decision-making across the organisation. Earlier, as Supervisor of IT Audit at KPMG Lower Gulf, he led and trained a specialised audit team, standardised quality in IT governance, risk and compliance work, and overhauled the IT governance structure of the Commercial Bank of Dubai.

With more than a decade of experience and over 78 clients across agriculture, telecommunications, banking, logistics and construction, Farouk brings a practical view of what it takes for African businesses to become efficient, compliant and globally competitive. He is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), COBIT 2019 Implementer and IBM Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner, and holds an MBA in General Management and Finance and a degree in Network Engineering from Canadian University Dubai. He has additional training in AI for business and forecasting, digital transformation and building management systems, and is a certified executive coach who has led training programmes internationally on leadership, cybersecurity and agile delivery.