Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed

Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (Maxaamed Cabdullaahii Maxaamed, محمد عبدالله محمد; born 11 March 1962), also known as Farmaajo, is a Somali politician who served as president of Somalia from 2017 to 2022.

During the 1970s, his father worked as a civil servant in the national Department of Transportation.

Mohamed attended a boarding school in Somalia.

He worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Somalia in an administrative capacity from 1982 to 1985.

Between 1985 and 1988, Mohamed acted as First Secretary in the Somali embassy in Washington.

After his arrival in America he put himself through school and achieved entry to the University at Buffalo.

When the civil war started in 1991 he claimed asylum in Canada and was eventually granted a Canadian passport.

Later, he studied in the US where he also claimed political asylum and achieved American citizenship.

While living in Buffalo in the United States, Mohamed was a registered Republican Party member.

Mohamed is a Somali citizen.

He graduated with a bachelor's degree in history in 1993.

From 1994 to 1997, Mohamed was chosen as an at-large Commissioner for the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority, and worked there as the finance chairman.

He also served as case manager for a lead abatement program in the city from 1995 to 1999.

Between 2000 and 2002, Mohamed was a minority business coordinator for the Erie County Division of Equal Employment Opportunity.

From 2002 until his appointment as Prime Minister in late 2010, he worked as Commissioner for Equal Employment at the New York State Department of Transportation in Buffalo.

During this time he also completed his master's degree in political science from the University at Buffalo with his thesis titled, ‘U.S. Strategic Interest in Somalia: From the Cold War Era to the War on Terror’ and taught leadership skills and conflict resolution at Erie Community College, part of the State University of New York (SUNY).

In 2007, while Mohamed was leading a Somali community group in Buffalo, he was accused by some of the Somali-American leaders of manipulating the election process in the group, in order to stay in power, resulting in a split in the community.

He was prime minister of Somalia for six months, from November 2010 to June 2011.

On 15 October 2010, Mohamed was appointed as new Prime Minister of Somalia.

Mohamed was sworn into office on 1 November 2010, at a ceremony held in the presidential residence, Villa Somalia.

On 12 November 2010, Mohamed named a new Cabinet, as per the Transitional Federal Government's (TFG) Charter.

The allotted ministerial positions were significantly reduced in number, with only 18 administrative posts unveiled versus the previous government's 39 portfolios.

Only two Ministers from the previous Cabinet were reappointed.

In his statement to the UN Security Council on his first 50 days in office, Mohamed stated that his administration had initiated the implementation of a full biometric register for the security forces which was to be completed within a window of four months.

Members of the Independent Constitutional Commission were also appointed to engage Somali constitutional lawyers, religious scholars and experts in Somali culture over the nation's scheduled new constitution, a key part of the government's Transitional Federal Tasks.

High-level federal delegations were dispatched to defuse clan-related tensions in several regions.

To improve transparency, Cabinet ministers fully disclosed their assets and signed a code of ethics.

An Anti-Corruption Commission with the power to carry out formal investigations and to review government decisions and protocols was also established so as to more closely monitor all activities by public officials.

Furthermore, unnecessary trips abroad by members of government were prohibited, and all travel by ministers now require the Premier's consent.

A budget outlining 2011's federal expenditures was also put before and approved by members of parliament, with the payment of civil service employees prioritized.

In addition, a full audit of government property and vehicles was to be put into place.

Senior Advisor Abdirahman Omar Osman, mentioned Mohamed's attention to road repair, reopening public schools and the regular payment of soldiers and civil servants as issues which brought him support from the people during his brief tenure.

The Kampala Accord was an agreement overseen by the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and the U.N. Special Envoy to Somalia Augustine Mahiga to bring an end to the 'transitional' phase of the TFG.

Mohamed is the founder and leader of the Tayo Party since 2012.

Mohamed was born in Mogadishu.

Mohamed comes from the Marehan, a sub-clan of the Darod clan.

His parents were activists affiliated with the Somali Youth League (SYL), Somalia's first political party.

Mohamed renounced his American citizenship in August 2019.

Mohamed is married to Saynab Abdi Moallim, the former First Lady of Somalia.

The couple have four children—two daughters and two sons—who still reside in the United States, as of 2019.