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H.E. Abshir Omar Jama

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Somalia

H.E. Abshir was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for the Federal Republic of Somalia in 2022. A seasoned diplomat, Abshir has been at the forefront of promoting and protecting Somalia’s interests and image regionally and globally. He was part of the diplomatic negotiations that led to the resumption of diplomatic relations which had remained severed. He was central in pushing for the membership of Somalia to the East Africa Community (EAC) including the EAC verification process in Somalia, which is a major milestone in Somalia’s move to join the EAC.

As an entrepreneur, Abshir is committed to developing Somalia’s growing private sector to contribute to the welfare of the Puntland people. He is the Chairman of Huruse & Bros Properties Ltd, a Garowe-based hospitality company that also serves international clients. He is also the executive board member of private enterprises delivering technologically advanced solutions in the field of software development, energy, and communications. Public-private partnership in Puntland’s economic and sustainable development is at the heart of Abshir’s governance agenda.

Scholar and Practitioner

H.E Abshir is both a scholar and practitioner in the public affairs of Puntland and the entire Republic of Somalia. He is a Master of Arts (Post-War Reconstruction and Development) graduate of the University of York in the United Kingdom. He also holds a Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance (DHA) from Geneva, Switzerland. Abshir is well grounded in the scholarship and practice of humanitarian interventions, negotiations, political crisis response and disaster management. This is so because Abshir has attended numerous humanitarian courses including the International Humanitarian Negotiator’s training in Barcelona, Spain. Overall, Abshir has vast experience in the implementation of humanitarian and social development.

As a practitioner, Abshir was a senior Field Officer for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Puntland and Somaliland from 1996-2002. Upon return from his higher education in the United Kingdom, Abshir rejoined ICRC in 2004, where he served for 10 years as a Regional Coordinator. Notably, during the peak of the Somalia civil war, he took leadership in critical disaster response operations in humanitarian intervention and social support.