Adel came to New Zealand as one of the first quota refugee minors in 1989. He holds a BA in Education and linguistics, a Graduate Diploma in Teaching, and an MA (Hon). He has recently completed his postgraduate studies in professional art practice at Toihoukura the Maori Visual Arts School in Tairāwhiti.

Adel has worked as a teacher and has served in various Public Service Senior Advisory roles in Aotearoa and overseas. In recent years, he has been a consultant in race relations, refugee resettlement and Human Rights qnd refugee health. Adel is a UNESCO RILA AFFILIATE REFUGEE ARTIST through the University of Glasgow. He is the founder of arts-based initiatives of Prints for Good and Toi Rito: Arts for Human Rights, where he collaborated with Tāiki e! to offer 17 arts based workshops inspired by UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Currently he is a Tairāwhiti/ Tāmaki based practicing artist, researcher and a collaborator at Intercultural Connections.