Mohamoud Hassan Saad
Mohamoud Hassan Saad | |
|---|---|
| Maxamuud Xasan Sacad | |
Mahmoud Hassan Saad in 2019 | |
| Minister of Commerce | |
| In office 14 December 2017[1] – 14 December 2024 | |
| President | Muse Bihi Abdi |
| Preceded by | Omar Shoaib Mohamed |
| Succeeded by | Abdirahman Hassan Nur Furre |
| Personal details | |
| Party | Peace, Unity, and Development Party |
Mohamoud Hassan Saad (Somali: Maxamuud Xasan Sacad) also known as Saajin is a Somaliland politician, who is served as the Minister of Commerce, Industries and Tourism of Somaliland[2] between 2017 and 2024.[3] He was the Kulmiye nominee for vice president in 2024, unsuccessfully contesting the election as the running mate of the incumbent Muse Bihi Abdi.[4][5]
Biography
Early days
Saajin was born in 1949 in Jijiga, a town in the Ogaden region that had recently been under the British Military Administration.[6]
He received his primary and intermediate education at schools in Quljeed and Sheikh, and later pursued higher studies at the institution that would become Amoud University.[6] He studied at the former SIDAM (Somali Institute for Development Administration and Management) between 1974 and 1977, after which he obtained a master's degree in financial analysis from the London Business School in 1978.[6]
He subsequently worked as a senior accountant at the Zakum Development Oil Company (ZADCO) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).[6]
In 2012, Saajin joined the ruling Kulmiye Party.[6]
He worked at the ZADCO for thirty-eight years (until around 2016) [6]
Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism
In December 2017, newly inaugurated President Muse Bihi Abdi announced his cabinet and appointed Saajin as Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism.[7]
In July 2019, Saajin signed Somaliland’s first-ever policy to support micro, small and medium enterprises, which at the time were estimated to account for more than 90 percent of the country’s GDP.[8]
In January 2021, Saajin instructed the Somaliland Ministry of Commerce to halve business registration fees in response to the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and used the measure as an opportunity to push for a transition toward a one-stop shop system for business registration and licensing across government agencies.[9]
At the end of July 2023, Saajin visited Taiwan in his capacity as Minister of Trade and Tourism and, together with Taiwan’s Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Strengthening Business and Trade Relations between Taiwan and Somaliland, which aimed to promote two-way business exchanges, trade missions and the sharing of investment opportunities.[11]
In August 2023, ahead of the presidential election, the Kulmiye Party selected incumbent President Muse Bihi Abdi as its presidential candidate and Saajin, then serving as Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism, as its vice-presidential candidate.[12] However, in the November 2024 presidential election the Kulmiye Party was defeated at the polls.[13]
In October 2023, after the Ethiopian prime minister voiced a desire for access to a Somaliland port, Saajin stated that territorial lands are not something to be casually given away and that Somaliland would only accept port investments made through proper investment procedures and protocols.[14]
On 14 December 2024, the new President of Somaliland, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Irro), Waddani party, announced his cabinet and appointed Abdirahman Hassan Nur Furre as Minister of Commerce and Tourism, replacing Saajin in that post.[15]
Kulmiye Party's vice-presidential candidate
After the ruling party shifted to Waddani, Saajin continued to be active in the Kulmiye Party as its vice-presidential candidate.[16]
In April 2025, he visited Borama, where he was warmly welcomed by supporters.[17]
See also
- Ministry of Commerce (Somaliland)
- Somaliland Chamber of Commerce
- Politics of Somaliland
- List of Somaliland politicians
References
- ^ "BREAKING Somaliland's new President names 32-Cabinet ministers". Horn Diplomat. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- ^ "Somaliland Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism signs and releases officially MSME". MENAFN. 21 July 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- ^ "President of Somaliland announced his new cabinet". Somali Dispatch. 2024-12-14. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ "Somaliland: Kulmiye party elects embattled president as its candidate – Somali Dispatch". 2023-08-22. Retrieved 2025-06-16.
- ^ "Opposition's Abdullahi wins presidential election in breakaway Somaliland". Al Jazeera. 2024-11-19. Retrieved 2025-06-16.
- ^ a b c d e f "Akhriso Taariikhda Guddoomiye ku-xigeenka 4aad ee xisbiga KULMIYE oo kooban" [Read the brief biography of the 4th deputy chairman of the Kulmiye party]. Hadhwanaag News (in Somali). 2020-10-06. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- ^ "BREAKING: Somaliland's new President names 32-Cabinet ministers". Horn Diplomat. 2017-12-14. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- ^ "Somaliland Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism signs and releases officially MSME". MENAFN / Somaliland Sun. 2019-07-21. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- ^ "Somaliland Commerce Ministry Cuts 50% of Business Registration Fees". Somaliland Standard. 2021-01-08. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- ^ "MOTT Minister meets with Ambassador Allen C. Lou, Taiwan Rep to Somaliland". Ministry of Trade and Tourism, Republic of Somaliland. 2022-08-29. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- ^ "Taiwan signs MOU on Strengthening Trade Relations with Somaliland". International Trade Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs (Taiwan). 2023-08-01. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- ^ "Somaliland: Kulmiye party elects embattled president as its candidate". Somali Dispatch. 2023-08-22. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- ^ "Somalia: End of era as Muse Bihi loses in Somaliland election". Garowe Online. 2024-11-19. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- ^ "Territorial lands are not just dished out, says Minister Saajin as he responds to Ethiopian Zeyla port desire". Somaliland Standard. 2023-10-26. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- ^ "President of Somaliland announced his new cabinet". Somali Dispatch. 2024-12-14. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- ^ "Handing Over the DG Role in Somaliland's Trade and ..." Cabdirashid.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- ^ "Murashaxii Xisbiga kulmiye Maxamuud Xasan Sacad Saajin ayaa Boorama lagu Soo dhaweeyay" [Kulmiye Party candidate Maxamuud Hassan Saad Saajin is welcomed in Borama]. Gabiley News Online (in Somali). 2025-04-01. Retrieved 2026-01-12.