Advisory Board

Senator Abdirizaq Osman, popularly known as Jurile was born in Bosaso, Puntland, Somalia. Jurile is a prominent Somali politician who has extensive experience in public policy, diplomacy, public administration, and business. In former Somali national government, Prof. Jurile became the dean of the Faculty of Chemistry at the Somali National University and the General Manager of the Italian Fund for Assistance (Fundo Aiuto Italiano). He subsequently became the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs. Prof, Jurile has been a public servant for many years. For three consecutive terms, he served as MP in the lower house of the transitional Somali federal government. During that period, he became the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, followed by Minister of Postal Cooperation and Telecommunications from 2009 to 2011. Since 2016, Jurile has been a Senator at the Upper House of federal Somalia. Prof. Jurile is one of the founding members of Puntland state and also of Puntland Development and Research Center (PDRC).

Prof. Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf is the current president of the International Court of Justice, the judicial arm of the UN that oversees legal disputes between member states, since February 2018. He holds a Ph.D. in international law from IUHEI, Geneva. He was born in Eyl, an ancient port town in the northeastern Nugal province of Somalia’s northeastern semi-autonomous region of Puntland. After earning his Juris Doctor degree in law from Somali National University (SNU), Yusuf went on to study for a Ph.D. in international law from the Graduate Institute of International Studies of Geneva, Switzerland. His past professional activities include legal adviser and director of the office of International Standards and Legal Affairs (UNESCO); Assistant Director-General and Special Adviser on African Affairs (UNIDO); Representative and Head of New York Office (UNCTAD). He is the founder and general editor of the African Yearbook of International Law (Vols. 1-21, issued from 1993 to 2016). Member of Institut de Droit International, Geneva, member and panel of Arbitrators of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

Dr. Ali Issa Abdi was born in the Nugal valley, Puntland, Somalia. He is the current Managing director of the Horn Economic and Social Policy Institute (HESPI). He worked as senior economist and manager at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for over two decades, including as an Advisor in the African region and as a Senior Resident Representative in Tanzania and in Ethiopia. Dr. Ali received his B.A in Sociology from Concordia University in Montreal, where he also pursued and achieved an M.A in Political Science. He received his Ph.D. in International Development Education from McGill University, Monreal. He worked as an economist with Citibank and the Central Bank of Somalia; and taught at several universities in the United States. Dr. Ali provided macroeconomic policy advice to more than 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East, and the Western Hemisphere. He has written extensively on education in Africa, and other social issues pertaining to the continent’s various communities. Throughout his long career, his competence and propriety have come to earn him the highest esteem everywhere.

Faisal Roble, received his B.A. from the Somalia National University (Lafole, Faculty of Education) in 1979; MA in Afro-American Studies with the emphasis on Political Science from UCLA (1984), and a second MA in Urban and Regional Development from UCLA (1986). Currently, he is the Director of Research for the Institute for Horn of African Studies and Affairs (IHASA) based in the US. Faisal is an award-wining Policy planner and an active member of both the African Studies Association and the National American Planning Association (APA). Faysal Roble, a Principal Planner for the city of Los Angeles in charge of Master Planning, Economic Development and Project Implementation Division. Prior to that, he was the head of Policy Planning and Master Plans managing citywide policies and programs related to economic development, housing, mobility, and the development of Transit Oriented Districts (TODs), as well as the completion of New Community Revisions.

Dr. Maryam Qasim is a medical doctor, a humanitarian and a politician. She worked as an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist as well as a University lecturer and a community activist in Somalia, Yemen, the Netherlands, and Great Britain. She served in the Somali Transitional Federal Government in 2010 - 2011 as the Minister for Women's Development and Family Welfare. She also served as the Minister for Human Development and Public Services in the Somali Federal Government in 2012 – 2014. Her portfolio included Health, Education, Higher Education & Culture, Women & family affairs, Youth, Sports, and Labour. She is currently the Goodwill Ambassador for the Campaign for Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA) in Somalia. She was also a special senior advisor to the Somali Prime Minister on social services. Currently, she is the UNFPA Head of Puntland Office.

Abdurahman Abdulle Osman (Shuke) was born in Garowe District, Nugaal Region of Puntland, Somalia. He trained in the Somali Youth League (SYL) community schools; Shuke became an assistant teacher in the primary school of Eyl in 1954. In the late 50’s, Shuke became a full elementary school teacher in Buur-Hakaba and Marca. He earned a scholarship and went to study Pedagogy in Venice, Italy. Mr. Shuke received a master’s degree (MA) in Education Philosophy at Delhi University, India and later studied Education Planning and Administration at Reading University, UK. He as appointed the Director of Teacher Training School of Magistrale in Mogadishu. He continued his career and was promoted to the Director-General of the Ministry of Education. In the early 80’s, Shuke became the deputy Minister of Education was subsequently appointed the Minister of Education. At the outset of Somalia’s civil conflict, Shuke migrated to Kenya, Italy, and Canada, and then returned to Somalia in 1992. He worked as a consultant to DIAKONIA on education development in the North-eastern regions, including Sool and Sanaag. In November 1999, Shuke was chosen to serve as the first Executive Director of Puntland Development and Research Center (PDRC) until his retirement in 2017. To-date, Shuke remains an active member of the PDRC Advisory Board and an outstanding model for renowned Somali peace and state builders.

Jerry McCann is Build Up’s Senior Advisor and Sahan’s Democratization Specialist. Former Deputy Director-General for Interpeace, Jerry has decades of experience supporting contextually-driven, locally-owned processes, with his strongest focus in the Somali region. His work spans over 20 countries, supporting developers and peacebuilders from within. Jerry approaches all his efforts with the patience of a peacebuilder and the urgency of an engineer. He currently resides with his wife, Liz, in San Francisco, California, USA after returning from Nairobi, Kenya after living there for 16 years. Jerry is a licensed Structural Engineer, with a Master’s in Construction Engineering from University of California – Berkeley. His diverse skills include strategic guidance, external engagement ethics, transformative resilience, homegrown democratization, and peace engineering.