His Excellency Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, former President of Somalia

Somalia the Crossroads: Opportunities + Challenges Post-Civil War

H.E. HASSAN SHEIKH MOHAMUD was the 8th President of Somalia from September 2012 until February 2017. A civil and political activist, Mohamud was previously a university professor and dean. In 2013, Mohamud was named to the Time 100, TIME magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. His efforts at advancing national reconciliation, and socio-economic and security sector reforms in Somalia were cited as reasons for the selection.

Throughout the Somali civil war, beginning in 1991, Mohamud was one of the few Somali intellectuals who remained in the country, working as a peace activist, reconciliation champion, and campaigner for education, as well as consulting with various non-government organizations, UN bureaus, and international organizations such as Oxford University’s Centre for Refugee Studies.

To address the need for a well-trained civil service for post-conflict reconstruction, Mohamud co-established the Somali Institute of Management and Administration Development (SIMAD) in 1999. The institution subsequently grew into the SIMAD University, with Mohamud acting as dean until 2010.

In 2011 he established the Peace and Development Party (PDP), with the mandate of restoration of peace and stability in Somalia through dialogue and reconciliation. In September 2012, Mohamud was elected as President to lead the first internationally recognized constitutional government in over 20 years.

Under his administration, the federalization process of the country was initiated with the formation of federal member states, constitutionally mandated committees were formed, numerous legislation were passed, relations with IMF were restored after a 25 year absence, economic reforms supporting growth were delivered and new elections were undertaken resulting in the peaceful transfer of leadership.

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