Ing. Hadji Dabo is a professional mining engineer who has over 35 years’ experience in the mining and minerals industry. He is currently a Director at Vericon Health Resources, LLC, Sugar Land, Texas, USA; a Managing Director at Gateway 2439 Engineering Consultancy Limited and a Director at SDS Engineering Associates Limited. Ing. Dabo holds a Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) degree in Mining Engineering from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada; a Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) First Division degree in Mechanical Engineering from Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. He is a registered Professional Engineer (P.Eng) in the United States, is a member of the Society of Mining and Exploration Engineers of the American Institution of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Engineers, U.S.A., and is a registered Engineer in Sierra Leone. Ing. Dabo had his secondary school education at the prestigious Government Secondary School in Bo (Bo School) where he graduated with a First Division School Certificate and proceeded to Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone in 1973.

After graduating from Fourah Bay College in 1977, Ing. Dabo worked in the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources (MANR) as a Mechanical Engineer in the Ministry’s Mechanical Cultivation Unit. During this same period, he served as a part-time Assistant Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at Fourah Bay College. Ing. Dabo later left the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources and joined Sierra Rutile Limited in 1979 as a Plant Supervisor, but soon after that, he won a Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship to undertake graduate studies, first in Agricultural Engineering, and then Mining Engineering at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. Following the completion of his studies in Canada, Ing. Dabo promptly returned to Sierra Leone in 1982 and again joined the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources for a brief period before moving on again to Sierra Rutile Limited. At Sierra Rutile Limited, Ing. Dabo served in various supervisory and management roles including those of Engineer-in-Charge of plants, Mine Planning Engineer, Chief Mine Planning Engineer, Mine Site Manager – during the war years for both Sierra Mineral Holding Limited (SMHL) and Sierra Rutile Limited (SRL), Community Development and Relations Manager – for both SMHL (Bauxite) and Sierra Rutile Limited, Production Coordinator, and Technical Services Manager. Ing. Dabo also undertook several technical, training and development courses including Geostatistics at Leeds University, U.K.; CAD/CAM & 3-D Mine Modelling at the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College, London, U.K.;  Datamine Mine Modelling in Perth, Australia; Inventory and Procurement Information Review in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.; and RGC Mineral Sands Operations tour in Perth, Eneabba, and Geraldton in Western Australia. Ing. Dabo retired from Sierra Rutile Limited in December 2014 and continues to provide mining consultancy services to the industry. Ing. Hadji Dabo is married with 4 children and his hobbies include playing Tennis and Badminton; and has interest in current affairs; engagement in community services and alumni associations activities.

Until taking office as Director General, Ing. Hadji Dabo was the Chairman, Board of Directors of the National Minerals Agency from 20 June 2019 to 19 October 2023. During his tenure as Chairman Board of Directors, Ing. Dabo supported the NMA management in executing the Agency’s mandates.