AL-ARABIYA- A remarkable Prime Minister helps revive a failed nation

[Mooge]

This month, Somalia will finally get a permanent constitution and government after years of transitional institutions. Despite two decades of civil war and unrest, the Somali capital of Mogadishu is currently undergoing an economic rejuvenation, with commerce, with banking and even tourism making a comeback.

 

What can explain this? While the recent presence of African Union troops has provided greater security, allowing the entrepreneurial spirit of the Somali people to flourish, less recognition has been given to Somalia’s own leadership. In particular, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, Prime Minister of the Transitional Federal Government, has played a central role in Somalia’s revival.

 

Over the past two decades, one of the major impediments to ending the turmoil has been the lack of strong, non-partisan leadership, with the country being torn apart by warring factions. More recently, the transitional government was split in a stand-off between President Ahmed and Prime Minister Sharmarke. The political feud brought the machinery of government to a halt and seemed to put an end to hopes that the transitional government might succeed in restoring stability. But since Ali’s appointment in June last year, the new Prime Minister has been at the forefront of the fight for peace, prosperity, and democracy.

 

It turns out that his sober, technocratic approach to politics was just what the country needed. Under Ali’s “Roadmap for the End of Transition”, representatives from across the country are working to create permanent democratic institutions by 20th August. For the first time, popular legitimacy is the end-goal. Under Ali’s leadership, a draft constitution has been ratified by a council of 825 Somali traditional elders, and will be put to a national referendum, paving the way for democratic elections in the near future. The constitution gives unprecedented control to Somalia’s independently-minded regions – which will even be granted powers over foreign policy – and guarantees that women will make up at least 30 per cent of parliamentarians, as well as constitutionally enshrining their right to an abortion when the mother’s health is in danger.

 

This political progress is all the more remarkable considering that Prime Minister Ali came to power in the midst of the worst drought in East Africa for over half a century. Not only did he manage to push forward plans for democratic institutions, but his response to the crisis itself showed tremendous ability in bringing the disparate bureaucratic forces of government into a single committee to tackle the issue.

 

His premiership has also seen the dramatic reversal of fortunes in the battle against the miliant Islamist group Al-Shabaab, who have been driven from Mogadishu and are now limited to parts of Southern Somalia. His willingness to cooperate with the Kenyan military in the coordinated Linda Nchi operation and ongoing support for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has led to notable and continuing success against the militant group.

 

This domestic success has allowed him to score significant international political victories as well. Under his leadership, various foreign dignitaries and VIPs have visited Somalia personally, including Turkish PM Recep Erdoğan, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, and Saudi business heavyweight Al-Waleed Bin Talal – as well as the British Foreign Secretary and German Development Minister. Such visits would not have even been considered this time last year, and do much to raise Somalia’s international profile and secure much-needed political and financial support for the recovery.

 

Perhaps the most striking symbol of his success was moving the UN Headquarters for Somalia back to Mogadishu after 17 years in Nairobi. This was a powerfully symbolic act for a country struggling to reassert its national identity, forcing international actors to get involved directly in the country they’re supposed to be helping.

 

But perhaps his most lasting legacy will be his personal example. Prime Minister Ali shows what the new Somalia needs to embrace: a measured, moderate, and ultimately constructive approach to politics. The future of Somali leadership should not be modeled on personal heroism, but on calmly and competently balancing different interests to defend the general interest.

 

(Muddassar Ahmed is the CEO of Unitas Communications Ltd, an international strategic communications consultancy based in London. He is also Chairman of the John Adams Society UK and a NATO Young Atlantacist Fellow.)

 

http://english.alarabiya.net/views/2012/08/08/231008.html

[Tallaabo]

I know prime minister Abdi Wali is a decent guy, but your obsession with Puntland personalities is tantamount to idolatry. It amounts to clan worship and is a bad thing in this Holy month of Ramadan. For a change, why don’t you be impartial and also support the many other non MJ unsung heroes and heroines working had to restore peace and order in the failed country?

[Mooge]

This is mooge and we are in campaign season. Next time dont ask such stupiid question. Cuz that comment was dummb. Stop using tribe names here.

[Somalia]

He's the man for the job.

 

PM Abdiweli Mohamed's CV from Niagara University Website

 

http://www.niagara.edu/assets/Uploads/Ali-vita-Oct-2010.pdf

 

Permanent Address

Abdiweli M. Ali, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Economics

P. O Box 403

Niagara University, NY 14109

(716)-286-8179 (W)

amali@niagara.edu

[Somalia]

Summary of Qualifications

 

Extensive experience in teaching, research, statistics, growth and development, international political

economy, international economics, Money and Banking, applied macroeconomics, applied

microeconomics, monetary theory and policy, public choice and public finance.

 

Education

Ph.D. in Economics, January 2000, George Mason University Fairfax, VA

Concentration: Applied microeconomics, applied macroeconomics, public finance, public choice, and

monetary theory.

 

MA in Public Administration, June 1999, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Concentration: Project appraisal and management, environmental economics, taxation and public

finance.

 

Certificate in Taxation, June 1999, International Tax Program, Harvard University Law School

Cambridge, MA

Concentration: Transfer pricing, comparative income taxation, comparative tax administration, valueadded tax, tax design and tax administration, tax analysis and revenue forecasting.

 

MA in Economics, 1988, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

Concentration: Economic development and international trade.

BA in Economics (highest honors), 1984, Somali National University Mogadishu, Somalia

[Somalia]

Honors

1998-1999 Joel Leff Fellowship of Political Economy, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard
University

1996-1998 Bradley Fellowship, Center for Study of Public Choice, George Mason University

1995-1996 Bradley Fellowship, Center for Study of Public Choice, George Mason University

1994-1995 Bradley Fellowship, Department of Economics, George Mason University

[Somalia]

Awards

 

2009-2010 Summer Research Grant by the Research Council of Niagara University on “Inequality and

Economic Growth.”

 

2007-2008 Summer Research Grant by the Research Council of Niagara University on “Corruption,

Economic Growth, and Environmental Quality: An Empirical Analysis.”

 

2006-2007 Summer Research Grant by the Research Council of Niagara University on “Foreign Aid,

Poverty and Growth.”

 

2005-2006 Summer Research Grant by the Research Council of Niagara University on “How Robust is the

Effect of Foreign Aid on Economic Growth.”

 

2004-2005 Summer Research Grant by the Research Council of Niagara University on “An Empirical

Analysis of the Determinants of Foreign Aid: A Panel Approach.”

 

The 2005-2006 Excellence in Research Award, College of Business Administration, Niagara University,

May 2006.

 

The 2003-2004 Excellence in Research Award, College of Business Administration, Niagara University,

May 2004.

 

The 2001 Best Article Award, Atlantic Economic Journal, October 2002.

 

The Best Paper Award, European Applied Business Research Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland, June

2004.

[Somalia]

Teaching and Academic Experience

 

 

08/20/2003-Present

 

Niagara University, Department of Commerce, Lewiston, NY

 

Associate Professor of Economics

• Taught Advanced Quantitative Methods: The course stresses practical applications of statistics to

business. Topics covered include factor analysis, nonparametric statistics, chi square, multiple

regression, time series analysis, and statistical process control. Each student is required to

complete a project using statistics in solving a realistic business problem.

 

• Taught Managerial Economics: This course is a combined Microeconomics and Macroeconomic

analysis. The microeconomic component of the course examines decision making by the

individual economic unit, addressing such topics as: demand and supply, price and output

determination, cost behavior, profit maximization, and competition. The macroeconomic

component examines models to explain: national output, inflation, and unemployment; and how

fiscal and monetary policies stabilize the economy.

 

• Taught Money and Banking: This course covers the functioning of the money and banking

system and its relationship with the rest of the economy. The course considers the nature of

money, the markets that allocate money to a variety of uses, the institutions that create and

5control the money stock, the flow of money and how it is related to employment levels, GDP,

inflation and interest rates, and international financial matters. Much attention is paid to

problems and issues requiring the attention of policymakers. Special attention is given to the role

of the Federal Reserve System as it affects the economy through the monetary policy.

 

• Taught Intermediate Microeconomics: This course covers intermediate level microeconomics

theory relevant to business decision-making. The course is intended to give students an

understanding of the economic environment within which businesses operate and to help you to

learn to use economics to analyze the reasons for business decision-making and how economic

decisions are generally made.

 

• Taught Economic Growth and Development: This course introduce students to the study of the

process of modern economic development. In doing so, it examines how standard micro-and

macro-economic theories apply in the presence of the market failures and weak formal

institutions that characterize developing countries. In the course of defining what development

is, economists and social scientists use terms like poverty, inequality, illiteracy, quality of life, etc.

Economic theory provides the fundamentals, a skeleton that can best serve as the framework for

discussions about economic development. At the completion of this course, students will have a

better understanding of what is meant by “development.” Students will also be familiar with

several theories of development, and what implications they have for this important part of the

world. Finally, this course will not focus on any country or region in particular, but will present

the experiences of a number of countries to illustrate major points.

 

• Taught Global Economics: This course examines the interdependence of economies to explain

macroeconomic developments in a global context. Models are developed to explain Gross

Domestic Product, unemployment, inflation, interest rates, exchange rates, and how economic

policy at the national level is impacted by economic policy and economic conditions abroad. This

course examines capital markets, foreign exchange markets, and labor markets in both a national

and international context. Case studies and current economic developments are examined in a

global perspective.

 

6/99-8/99

 

Harvard University Cambridge, MA

 

Teaching Fellow, Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID)

• Assisted the core faculty in teaching the summer executive program on environmental economics

and policy analysis (EEPA). My assignment was to teach and assist with the research projects of

students taking the methods track (which is heavy in economic theory and quantitative

methods).

 

• Prepared course material for class presentation.

• Held after class review sessions and if necessary one-on-one tutoring.

• Graded problem sets, homework assignments and final course papers.

 

9/98-6/99

 

Harvard University Cambridge, MA

 

Teaching fellow, John F. Kennedy School of Government

• Assisted the core faculty in teaching a graduate level course: markets and market failures. The

course was microeconomics applied to policy issues. It applied microeconomic reasoning to

public issues, policies, and programs. It considered economic incentives and organizations;

models of economic behavior, including markets, the absence of markets, and interventions in

markets; the price system and how it works; and policy objectives and instruments.

• Prepared course material for class discussion.

6• Held after class review sessions and if necessary one-to-one tutoring.

• Graded problem sets, homework assignments and term papers

[Somalia]

Hands DOWN the most qualified in the race, it's not even a competition! :cool:

[Nin-Yaaban]

I agree with Tallaabo on this one, if you were any smart sxb, you would have at least mixed things up a little on your posts. It's called tact. Now, this Abdiweli guy is probably one of the best/smartest guys running for "MADAXWEYNE" but that's not really going to matter if people perceive you as being Qabiileste. You could even be doing more to harm him. Your reputation here really proceeds you. Not that SoL reputation matters...but believe me, it at least helps those of us sitting on the sidelines about Somalia.

[Mooge]

Ninyaaban, i am not a hypocrite. Lol. I am mooge, a wellknown partisan. I am a supporter of abdiweli during campaign season. What did you want me to do? Post pictures of shariif to fool people? Loool. Dont make me laugh ninyow because you cant be that naive. Loool

[Somalia]

Mooge you are becoming Dr_Osman without pictures

[Mooge]

Lool. This is hilarious. These guys cant be serious.

[GaraadMon]

Somalia;855694 wrote:

Mooge you are becoming Dr_Osman without pictures

 

Roads!Trees!Air! Toilets! Where else in Somalia can you get all this!

[General Duke]

Great article. A wonderful leader Abdiweli is...