The place and date of Birth
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was born in Jalalaqsi a town in the south-central Hiran province of Somalia on November 29, 1955. He grew up in a middle-class family belonging to the Abgaal Hawiye clan. Hassan is married to Qamar Ali Omar and has 7 children.
Educational History
He received his primary and secondary education from local schools in his hometown and later went to Somalia’s capital Mogadishu where he attended the local Somali National University and obtained an undergraduate diploma in technology from the institution in 1981.
Hassan is also a graduate of Eastern Mennonite University’s Summer Peacebuilding Institute (SPI’s)based in Harrisonburg, Virginia. In 2001, he completed three of the SPI’s intensive courses, studying mediation, trauma healing, and designing learner-centered trainings.
Professional Career
Upon returning to Somalia, He embraced an early career in the educational sector after accepting a position as an instructor and trainer at the Lafole Technical Secondary School. In 1984, Hassan joined the Somali National University-affiliated Technical Teachers’ Training College where he later became the department’s head in 1986
Upon the outbreak of the Civil war in 1990s, Hassan opted to stay in Somalia and work as a Consultant for NGOs, UN Bureaus as well as peace and development projects.
From 1993 to 1995, upon gaining much experience on the field, he was Pitched by UNICEF where He worked as an education officer for UNICEF in the central and southern parts of the country.
In 1999, he also co-established the Somali Institute of Management and Administration (SIMAD) in the capital. The institution subsequently grew into the SIMAD University, with Hassan acting as dean until 2010 when he decided to resign and kick start his political career.
Political Career
Hassan entered into politics in the year 2011 when he first founded the independent Peace and Development Party PDP and became the party’s chairman In April 2011.In 2012 Hassan was selected as a Member of Parliament in the Federal Parliament of Somalia. This marked the start of his political career.
He was elected on the September 10, 2012 by the legislators as the 8th President of Somalia. His Victory was welcomed throughout the national territory and the world as a whole as they all viewed this as a great step forward into the path of peace, prosperity, stability in the country.
On September 10, 2012, He was formerly inaugurated as the president of Somalia. Faced with the security challenges in the country, Hassan took upon himself to address this issue in top priority. On May 15, 2022 Hassan is elected president for the second time, defeating incumbent President Mohamed Abdullah Mohamed in the final round by 214 against 110 votes.
Achievements
In April 2013, Hassan 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, anti-corruption measures, and socio-economic and security sector reforms in Somalia were cited as reasons for the selection.