Engr. Mansur Ahmed is an engineer and business executive with more than five decades of experience in manufacturing, energy, economic policy, infrastructure development and corporate governance. His career spans academia, manufacturing operations, public-sector leadership and executive positions in the private sector.

He began his professional career in 1973 as an Assistant Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He entered industry in 1976, working with Dunlop Nigeria Industries and subsequently holding management positions at Nortex Nigeria, Bagauda Textile Mills and Kaduna Textiles. He became Managing Director of Kaduna Textiles in 1982 before moving to the New Nigeria Development Company (NNDC), where he served as Divisional Director responsible for construction products and real estate. During this period, he represented NNDC on the boards of companies in its investment portfolio, including Benue Cement Company and Nigalex.

In 1988, Engr. Ahmed joined the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), serving as Managing Director and Chief Executive of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company from 1988 to 1991 and Port Harcourt Refining Company from 1992 to 1999. He was subsequently appointed Group Executive Director responsible for Refining and Petrochemicals, a position he held until his retirement from NNPC in 2003.

Following his NNPC career, he became Director-General of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) in 2004, contributing to private-sector engagement on economic policy and reform. In 2008, he was appointed the pioneer Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC). During his tenure, he led the development of institutional processes and procedures for public-private partnerships in Nigeria. The Commission subsequently received the Africa Investor PPP Champion of the Year award in 2010. He left the ICRC in 2012 after completing his first tenure.

Engr. Ahmed joined Dangote Group in 2013 and served for approximately a decade as Group Executive Director responsible for Government and Strategic Relations. He retired from the executive position in 2023 and subsequently took up the role of Special Adviser to the Group’s President and Chief Executive Officer. In May 2025, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of iCentra.

His leadership in industry associations includes serving as President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) from 2018 to 2022 and subsequently as President of PAMA. He is also a Vice-President of the African Business Council (AfBC), an Ambassador for the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) and a member of the Africa Quality Policy Council. His engagement with continental industrial development includes participation in initiatives supporting the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Engr. Ahmed has served on several national policy committees and corporate boards. His public-sector assignments have included the Nigerian Vision 2010 and Vision 2020 committees, the Technical Committee of the National Council on Privatisation, the Committee on the Assessment and Monitoring of the Millennium Development Goals, the National Economic Management Team and the National Competitiveness Council. His board experience includes Union Bank of Nigeria, GlaxoSmithKline, Dunlop Nigeria and Savannah Sugar Company.

His recognitions include the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR), fellowship of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE) and fellowship of the Nigerian Institute of Management (FNIM). In 2019, the Kaduna chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations presented him with its Champion of Industrial Development award in recognition of his contributions to industrial development. His leadership of the ICRC also coincided with the Commission’s 2010 Africa Investor PPP Champion of the Year recognition.

Engr. Ahmed holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom, and a Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and Administration from Cranfield University, United Kingdom. He also completed postgraduate training in Investment Appraisal and Management at the Harvard Institute for International Development.