Abubakar Hanip, of Bangladeshi origin, works in the United States in higher education and as a technology entrepreneur. Drivers, restaurant workers and new graduates who once worked for the minimum wage are now IT professionals earning $100,000 to $200,000 a year. Behind this story of change is a Bangladeshi-born entrepreneur, engineer Abubakar Hanip (also written Abubakar Hanif).
Abubakar Hanip was born in Cheora village in Nangalkot upazila, Comilla. He went to the United States to study in 1995. There he realised that a good education was the only way into the mainstream of American society. After finishing his studies he began a career in information technology (IT). He has worked with organisations including IBM, Oracle Corporation and US government agencies.
In 2005 he founded the PeopleNTech Institute of Information Technology (PIIT) in his own home. The aim was a single one: to give practical IT training to immigrants in the US, Bangladeshi expatriates among them, especially those working for the minimum wage, and help them into good jobs.
Since its founding, PeopleNTech has trained more than 5,000 students. Many of them work at large US IT companies on salaries of $80,000 to $200,000 a year. PeopleNTech later expanded from the United States to Canada and India, and to Bangladesh, where it has operated since 2014.
His biggest venture is Washington University of Science and Technology (WUST). The university was founded in 2008. He took over its leadership in October 2020 and took ownership of it in 2021. He is now its chairman and chancellor. WUST is known as the first Bangladeshi-owned university in the United States.
WUST is in Alexandria, Virginia. It is certified to operate by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) and accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). Its programmes include an MBA, a Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT), a Master of Science in Cybersecurity (MSCS), a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) and a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT). New programmes such as Applied Data Science and Artificial Intelligence and Applied Software Engineering have been added.
WUST has grown fast under his leadership. In three years enrolment rose from 300 to 1,700 students. Students from 121 countries now study there. The university has been honoured by the Virginia General Assembly and Senate for excellence and innovation in education: by the Virginia State Senate in January 2023 and by the Virginia State Assembly in February 2024. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has also praised the university’s role.
Abubakar Hanip’s philosophy of education is “Degree, Skill and Career”: not just a degree, but practical skills and a direct path to a career. In his view ICT is not just another industry but a core economic engine that creates jobs, raises foreign earnings and strengthens national infrastructure. His vision covers artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, fintech, cloud computing and global outsourcing.
In 2025 he made a bigger announcement. At WUST’s 2025 convocation he announced a $2 million startup fund for students. “We are not just giving space or mentorship, we are giving capital,” he said. “If you have a product, service or vision that solves a real problem, we are ready to invest up to $2 million in each selected idea.” That day 263 students graduated.
The same year he received the Global NRB Award 2025 at the NRB Global Convention 2025, in recognition of his contribution to education and skills development worldwide.
From Cheora village in Comilla to chancellor of a university in Virginia, Abubakar Hanip’s journey shows that success means not only rising yourself but giving others the chance to rise.
This report is based on information from WUST, PeopleNTech, TechLife BD, The Daily Star, NRBC TV and Bangladesh Post. Sources spell his name both Abubakar Hanif and Abubakar Hanip.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report