Meet Mohamed Muse Elmi, The Pharo Foundation Somaliland Representative

Mohamed Muse Elmi joined the Foundation in June 2017 as Finance and Administration Manager. Following the expansion of the Somaliland programme , Mohamed was promoted to new country lead two years later and has served as Country Representative for the past 3 years. He has two decades of experience in humanitarian and development work in the region.??

Who is Mohamed Elmi??

I was born and raised in Hargeisa, Somaliland. I was in preschool age when the civil war?broke out in Somalia in 1988. The civil war lasted for three years, and I spent a year in a small village in Ethiopia named "Harta Sheikh" and two years in Djibouti. After the war, my family and I returned to Hargeisa. Unfortunately, by this time, everything was destroyed, houses, schools, roads, airports all public infrastructure was down. However, at the time, my generation and I had no option but to resume studying under the collapsed buildings. Most classrooms had no roof, chairs/tables, and few resources available to operationalise the schools.

The youth of Hargeisa organised different youth clubs to support peacebuilding and state-building by mobilising citizens. Local people had the first initiative to start cleaning the city by collecting garbage from the streets and public places. Diaspora and business people rehabilitated public spaces, including schools and hospitals. I was privileged to join a youth club called Circus Hargeisa, where we performed and educated the public through our shows. Circus shows were the most popular public performance in the 1990s. They were a powerful tool for educating people to take responsibility and contribute equally to sustain the country's peace and stability. At the time, our slogan was 'Peace is not negotiable'.??

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How did you come to love development???

After high school, I got an internship opportunity from HAVOYOCO Burao in September 2003 and moved to the Burao Togheer region. I completed my internship program in four months. Then worked for over five years as an operations officer involved in humanitarian development interventions, including animal restocking, pack camel distribution and rehabilitation of water sources for drought-affected families and other development interventions supported by USAID, DFiD, and EU. After five years, I was relocated to work from the HQ office in Hargeisa and served as Chief of Finance for another three years.?

Since then, development work became my passion and a significant chapter of my life. Another reason I love development is that I always believe that Somaliland will be a developed country one day.?

After completing my first degree in business administration and reading the business literatre, I understood that even developed countries were once underdeveloped.?

Take the case of Singapore. After its independence in 1965, Singapore's income per capita was the same as Somaliland's today. Today, it stands as one of the most developed countries. As a Somalilander, I'd love to know the secret behind Singapore's success.?

I am always inspired by the Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Professor Kishore Mahbuhani's quote:?

"I have lived through a remarkable transformation in Singapore from being a poor country to a developed country.'??He says meritocracy, pragmatism and honesty were the bases of the secret formula for Singapore's success.?

Meritocracy means selecting the best people to run the country. China's former leader, Deng Xiaoping, gave pragmatism the best definition: he said ‘it doesn't matter if a cat is black or white. If the cat catches mice, it is a good cat’.

In the same way, it does not matter what your ideology is. If it works, use it. So Singapore was very pragmatic; they would take some policies from capitalists and socialists and mix them up, which is what pragmatism is about. You are not bound by any ideology.

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How long have you worked/been in the region??

I have worked here for the past two decades and have had the opportunity to travel to several countries. I have been seconded to the regional office of OXFAM and carried out different assignments where I travelled to Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and South Sudan.

What does your everyday look like?

I give more time and attention to Pharo employees, especially the Senior Management Team, who drive the success of our programs. Listening to them gives me better insight into what needs to be done instead of telling them what to do. We discuss ways of encouraging and fostering innovative ideas, reducing operational challenges/risks, and thinking about the best way to align what the board envisions.

I regularly go to the field to oversee the program operations to support the challenges faced by the team and the community. I also engage with the government offices regularly to update them on our progress, successes and challenges.

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What would you like to achieve in this role??

My ambition is to contribute to my country's development on one hand, and to the mission of the Pharo Foundation, which is to develop Africa. This is an excellent opportunity for me to lead a programme that transforms people's lives.

In this role, I want to turn the organisation's dreams into reality by involving all relevant program stakeholders, experts and authorities so that the resources invested?creates value and long-lasting impact for the people of Somaliland.

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What is the mission of the Pharo Foundation in Somaliland for you?

The mission of the Pharo Foundation in Somaliland is to invest in social development programmes, including access to quality and affordable education and health. Embarking on large-scale water infrastructure projects involving the building and rehabilitating of reservoirs and helping the agricultural production sector. These development projects are in line with Somaliland's national development.?

How will the Pharo Foundation allow you to accomplish this?

The Pharo Foundation Somaliland plans to write down the country's program strategy for the coming five years (2023 – 2027). We will need the board and the CEO to approve the design. The strategy development document will entail a detailed implementation plan and the resources required to accomplish our mission. Whatever is included in the strategic plan will be reported to the board quarterly, emphasising progress and challenges. Regular board visits and feedback are paramount for the programme's success.?