Makki started as a hydrogeologist in the BRGM geological mission in Jeddah in 1997, then joined the core team of the Earth Sciences Database, was named head of the Earth Sciences Database at the Saudi Geological Survey—SGS since its inception in 1999, then director of the SGS Spatial Information Systems Department, and finally owner of the NGD initiative.
Makki was in charge of different geological database projects, such as mineral occurrence databases, geological maps database, geochemical surveys database, bibliography database, geodetic survey database, mining database, and uranium and thorium exploration database in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in applied geology from King Abdulaziz University, KSA, and a master’s degree in computer science from Swansea University, UK.