Mr. Abdullahi is the Governor of the Central Bank of Somalia (CBS). He has over 20 years of professional experience in the aspects of Financial Management. He started his career working with the Finance Ministry of Somalia in 1986, but he worked most part of his adult life in the Private sector in Norway and UK. Abdi’s compassion for aid and development issues has taken him to work in a number of charity organizations operating in Yemen and Horn of Africa. He was appointed as a Governor of CBS in April 2019. Prior to his current role as Governor and Chairman of the Board of Directors of CBS, Abdi has worked as Senior Economic Policy Advisor for the Office of the Prime Minister in Somalia, where he contributed significant policy reforms in the areas of Public Financial Management. Abdi holds a master’s degree in finance and international Banking (MSc) from Liverpool John Moores University (JMU) in U.K and bachelor’s degree in business administration from Norwegian University of Technology and Science (NTNU).
Dr. Ali Yassin Sheikh has over 15 years of hands-on experience and in-depth knowledge in the areas of inclusive economic growth, governance, and social development; national development planning, inter-government working arrangements; political-economic analysis; and participatory public expenditure management (PPEM). Dr. Ali has worked with the private and public sectors in Somalia and has a strong background in working on financial reforms and is engaged in research and knowledge production with a special focus in the areas of fiscal federalism and human capital development. Dr. Ali Yassin Sheikh is an academician with a Doctorate in Business Management and a Master’s in Economic Policy and Planning. Prior to his current role as Deputy Governor and Deputy Chair of the CBS Board of Directors, he served as the Macroeconomics and Research Department Director for the Central Bank of Somalia.
Professor Abdullahi Sh. Ali is an Economic expert with more than 40 years of progressive Senior level work experience with the Federal Government of Somalia, where he held different positions until 2022. He is the former Deputy Minister of Finance (2018-2022), where he led the yearly Budget Preparation and Revenue Collection of the Federal Government of Somalia and Co-Chaired the Debt Relief Programme with the former Minister of Finance. Professor Ali also served as a Deputy Minister of Planning (2015-2017), where he jointly Co-Redrafted the Investment Law of Somalia, established the Somalia Bureau of Statistics and Reintroduced the 3-Year National Development Plan (NDP) of Somalia. Furthermore, Professor Ali accumulated experience in the negotiation of bilateral and multilateral agreements within the National Government and International Partners. Abdullahi was the Director General at the Ministry of Agriculture in 1976, Deputy Mayor of Mogadishu City Council in 1977 and General Manager of a large irrigation program known as “Faanole Irrigation Scheme”, the Largest Project for Rice Production of Somalia during 1989-1991. Professor Ali has more than 12 years of progressive senior level experience in the United Nations Organizations, mainly the United Nations Coordination Office (UNCO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) of Somalia and UNICEF. Abdullahi is a Senior Alumni at the Somali National University, a graduate in 1974, proceeded to become an Assistant lecturer at the Economics and Development Planning Department in 1975, where he is now a Senior Lecturer at the Economics department. A graduate in Fellow Advanced Studies at MIT in 1982 in Boston, USA. He attended Advanced Courses EDI of the World bank in Washington and Royal Institute of Planning in Kuwait.
Faysal Abdullahi Warsame is an experienced professional in financial management with over 15 years of working experience in the areas of banking, public finance management and consulting services. He has worked both in private and government institutions in the US including Accenture, United Health Group and Supervalu. He worked on several consultant positions funded by the World Bank for close to nine years, providing a broad range of Public Finance Management reform services to the Federal Ministry of Finance and to the Finance Ministry of the Federal member State of Puntland. Prior to this appointment to the CBS Board of Directors, Faysal worked as the Director General for the Ministry of Finance of Puntland State of Somalia, bringing a wealth of treasury management experience to the Ministry. Mr. Warsame holds bachelor’s degree in management information system from the Minnesota State University at Mankato, and MBA with a concentration in Islamic Financing from Hamline University (USA). Faysal is currently a member of PMI, Six Sigma certification Group, Warthon Management-leadership certification group, the Chair of the Board of Nomads International.
Dr. Aues Scek has a Ph.D. in Development Economics and Population Studies. He is currently Deputy Executive Director of Somalia National Economic Council. An institution that provides the FGS and FMS advice on evidence-based policy.
He worked as a Senior Economic Advisor and Manager for several GIZ programs for over a decade and a half in Swaziland, Kenya, and Malawi and at the GIZ headquarters in Germany. His other professional experience includes working as project manager on institutional capacity development for UNDP Somalia on Public Finance Management, Banking, fiscal and monetary policy reforms, and designing and implementing monitoring and evaluation programs. Aues also worked for the World Bank as a senior consultant in macroeconomic, Central Banking, budgeting, and designing Public Financial Management reforms.
He has more than 25 years of experience in a wide range of public sector reforms, more specifically PFM, development policy formulation, strategy development and monetary policy and currency reforms, as well as research and policy dialogues. Dr. Scek worked in Somalia, Swaziland, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Italy, Germany, and the USA.
Prof. Hussein Warsame is a Professor and the Accounting Area Chair at the Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary. He is also the Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) Faculty Fellow of Taxation at the Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary. Prof. Warsame holds a BSc in Chemistry from Somali National University, an MBA with a concentration in accounting from California State University-Fresno and a Ph.D. in Management with a major in accounting and taxation from the University of Calgary. Prof. Warsame joined the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business in 2000. Prior to that, he was a faculty member in the John Molson School of Business of Concordia University in Montreal for 5 years. He also taught at United Arab Emirates University, UNIQWA (South Africa), Centrum (Peru), and the Somali National University. His teaching interests are in taxation, financial accounting, and auditing. In addition to the undergraduate programs, Prof. Warsame taught students in MBA, Executive MBA, and Aviation MBA programs. He also supervises Ph.D. candidates in accounting and taxation. He is a winner of the Great Supervisor Award (2017), the Dean’s Award for Ph.D. support (2012), the University of Calgary Student Union Teaching Excellence Award (Honorable mention 2008), the Chartered Accountants’ Education Foundation Teaching Excellence Prize (2002 and 2007), and the Haskayne School of Business Commerce Undergraduate Society Teaching Excellence Award (2003).
Ms. Hanifa Mohamed Ibrahim, widely recognized as “Hanifa Habsade”, is a prominent Somali professional and a dedicated advocate for women's empowerment and social justice. Appointed as a Board Member of the Central Bank of Somalia on January 06, 2025, she brings extensive experience in public service, policy advisory, and leadership to her role.
Ms. Hanifa previously served as Somalia's Minister of Women and Human Rights Development (2021–2022), where she led critical reforms, including the drafting of the Disability Rights Bill, Child Rights Bill, and Anti-Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Bill. Her leadership was instrumental in uniting women politicians, ministers in the federal member states, and civil society organizations to advance women's rights.
During her tenure as a Member of the Federal Parliament 2016-2021, Ms. Hanifa played an active role in the passage of key legislation, including the Sexual Offenses Bill and the Elections Bill, contributing significantly to Somalia's legislative progress.
Prior to joining the CBS Board, Ms. Hanifa served as a Senior Advisor to the Speaker of the Federal Parliament of Somalia, where she provided strategic advice on policies related to women’s rights and human rights, further enhancing the legislative framework and equality.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with Honors from Multimedia University, Malaysia, and a Master’s degree in Disaster Resilience Leadership and Humanitarian Action from the United Nations Peace University.
Ms. Hanifa remains deeply committed to promoting good governance, inclusive development, and championing initiatives that empower women and enhance social equity.
