I Mukhtar has over 22 years of diverse experience in political science, mass media/journalism, security, governance, and capacity building, with a strong foundation in driving impactful initiatives. Possesses double master's degrees and double bachelor's degrees from esteemed universities in Somalia, Pakistan, and Spain. Expertise includes institutional support, community engagement, conflict management, business contract management, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), gender advocacy, humanitarian efforts, stabilization projects, development strategies, and public relations. Adept at navigating complex environments to deliver sustainable solutions and foster positive change. Committed to leveraging extensive knowledge and skills to contribute effectively to organizational goals and community advancement.
Hi, I’m
Mukhtar Isak Abdi
UNSOM Political Affairs Officer
Mogadishu
Summary
Overview
20
years of professional experience
4
Languages
Work History
United Nations Mission for Somalia (UNSOM)
Political Affairs Officer
09.2022 - Current
Job overview
- The role of Political Affairs Officer under the leadership of Chief Section of PAMG, Deputy SRSG and UNSRSG, I am supporting the UN mission’s good offices mandate through political outreach, government relations, stakeholder engagement, coordinating joint programs and in-depth monitoring, analysis, and reporting.
- Supporting FGS–FMS relations, opposition dynamics, parliamentary, constitutional and elections processes, and national dialogue initiatives.
- Facilitating UN high-level engagements through the preparation of briefings, talking points, code cables, note of verbals, analytical notes, and mission SG reports.
- Provide policy advisory through monitoring national and regional political and security developments, providing early-warning analysis.
- Coordinating UN-FGS -FMS joint programs in peace keeping mission, peace building, reconciliation and mediation efforts related to inter- and intra-clan conflicts, and contributing to the implementation of the UN-FGS Cooperation Frameworks, National Reconciliation Frameworks and National Transformation Strategy for coming 5 years 2025-2029 led by Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Interior and Federalism and Office of Prime Minister.
- Lead coordination with government institutions, parliament, civil society, UN entities, and international partners, alongside continuous professional development to strengthen analytical, reporting, and diplomatic capacities in support of the missions transition objectives aligned to United Nation's Security Council Mandates.
HARQAN PROJECT SERVICES Ltd
Board of Director for
01.2008 - Current
Job overview
- As a shareholder for Harqan Project Services and a Board of Director for the company.
- I am working closely with company leadership and the board of directors to guide operational and business strategy, strengthen governance, and drive company growth.
- My role involved building and maintaining long-term relationships with key government partners and clients, improving customer satisfaction through streamlined communication and service delivery, and resolving complex client issues to maintain high service standards.
- I led process and systems improvements to enhance operational efficiency and productivity, mentored and developed 52 staff to build leadership capacity, and implemented strategic marketing and business development initiatives that expanded market presence and increased revenue.
- In addition, I collaborated with government stakeholders and private-sector partners to align corporate objectives with public priorities, negotiated high-value contracts to improve profitability, identified and secured new business opportunities across Somalia, and consistently delivered profitable projects by accurately identifying client needs and closing deals with a high success rate.
Spanish News Agency (EFE)
National Correspondent/Reporter
01.2011 - 12.2022
Job overview
- I was Independent National Correspondent/Reporter for Spanish News Agency (EFE) covering Somalia and HOA region for Daily news updates, flash reports, security updates, anti-piracy operations, media monitoring and PESA analyst from the region.
- Provided drafting daily news coverage from Somalia, preparing incident and analytical reports, and closely monitoring and reporting on counterterrorism and counter-piracy operations, including activities along Somalia’s coastal areas led by EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta. It includes conducting stakeholder interviews with government officials, security commanders, civil society representatives, and community members, as well as producing regular media monitoring reports on political and security developments.
- Contributed 12 features, articles, success stories, opinion blogs, and in-depth analyses on national and regional issues and the role of the international community in Somalia, while preparing timely articles on political and security trends. It also requires analyzing and interpreting information to enhance audience understanding and satisfaction, editing articles and scripts for accuracy, grammar, and style, and carrying out any other assignments requested by the supervisor.
NIS Foundation, a Norwegian Agency under Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Area Manager for
01.2014 - 08.2022
Job overview
- During my tenure with NIS foundation:
- I led stabilization, development, stakeholder engagement, strategic communication, capacity building, and private-sector partnership initiatives, working closely with the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), Federal Member States (FMS), local administrations, the UN, stabilization actors, civil society, and community leaders to ensure effective delivery of program's.
- My role included leading Political Economy and Security Analyses (PESA), political, security, economic, contextual, and infrastructure mapping in early-recovered and recovery areas, facilitating stakeholder coordination mechanisms, and maintaining strong partnerships with UN agencies, INGOs, and government institutions.
- I provided overall leadership for 33 government-led stabilization projects across Somalia, overseeing programme implementation through workplans and monthly and quarterly activity plans, supporting stabilization and needs assessments, conflict mitigation and mediation in South-Central Somalia, and contributing to proposal development for stabilization and development initiatives.
- In addition, I led strategic communications and media engagement, managed media monitoring and donor reporting, and provided high-level leadership in community consultations, partner coordination, and capacity building for ministries, municipalities, contractors, task forces, and steering committees.
- Serving as an Area Field Officer across Banaadir, Southwest, Jubbaland, and Galmudug, I supported budget monitoring, logistics, procurement, and M&E functions, drafted and reviewed project and agency reports, and delivered regular progress and event reporting while undertaking additional duties as required.
PBI2 Polaris Global Management
Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist
01.2014 - 12.2014
Job overview
- I was part time M&E specialist for PBI2 covering the roles including
- Conducted 12 Partner’s capacity Assessments
- Facilitated 12 partners capacity building on project management, M&E, Data collection and Baseline surveys
- Provided 35 projects monitoring and evaluation reports
- Conducted 35 physical assessments of the infrastructure for projects
- Provided Data collections and Survey mapping using GPS coordinates
- Lead Field visiting and community engagements for the USAID/DFID projects.
- Conducted Focus group discussions, Interview with partners and beneficiaries
- Compiled report writing using Online data base
BARBAAR INITIATIVE
Director General for
01.2009 - 12.2013
Job overview
- I worked with BI as a provider of Political Economy and Security Analysis (PESA), advocacy, think-tank, media, and research services, leading multi-sector projects based in Somalia and Sweden. The role involved building and maintaining strong relationships with government institutions, regional administrations, the UN, and community elders; providing partners with regular political, security, and news updates; and conducting conflict mapping and mediation in South-Central Somalia.
- I led project design and implementation by preparing workplans, drafting and reviewing project proposals, developing organizational strategies, and supervising the delivery of 12 projects, while overseeing monitoring and evaluation through field visits, FGDs, interviews, and physical assessments.
- In addition, I supervised management procedures and guided a team of 15 staff, supported administration functions (finance, HR, and logistics), liaised with project implementation teams and office management, and reported to donors.
- I actively participated in more than 100 stakeholder coordination and consultation meetings, including inter-agency, cluster, OCHA, and ministerial-level forums, followed field security developments for humanitarian actors, translated project and communication materials, and drafted and reviewed analytical, project, and organizational reports for partners and donors.
United Nations Office For Project Services, AF
Associate Program Officer
02.2006 - 12.2009
Job overview
- I worked with UNOPS as Associate Programme Officer on District-Based Peacebuilding (DBPB) and PIU projects supporting reconciliation, peacebuilding, governance, and local development in Somalia/Somaliland, while also serving as a Communications Adviser seconded to UNDP/UNOPS.
- My role included conflict mapping, reconciliation and mediation support, district council formation and capacity building, field missions, M&E and security assessments with UNDSS, and delivery of community dialogue trainings.
- I also led project communications and reporting, producing media content, awareness campaigns, and regular operational and security reports for senior management.
Education
United Nations University For Peace- Africa BranchMogadishu
Master of Arts from Political Science (Peace, Governance and Development)
04.2001
University Overview
KALU InstituteSpanish, Europe
Master’s degree from International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid
01.2017
University Overview
Jobkey UniversityMogadishu
Bachelor of Arts from Political Science
04.2001
University Overview
Affiliated with JOMO KENYATTA UNIVERSITY.
MIIM InstituteIslamabad, Pakistan
Postgraduate Diploma from Public Administration and Conflict Management
01.2012
University Overview
DIC InstituteNairobi, Kenya
Diploma from Community Development and Humanitarian study
01.2011
University Overview
Indian Ocean UniversityMogadishu
Bachelor's degree from Business Administration
01.2007
University Overview
Al-badri Media ServicesMogadishu
Diploma from Journalism and Mass Communication
01.2005
University Overview
SOCOMIN TECH InstituteMogadishu
Diploma from Computer knowledge, as Software, Hardware and Internet programme
01.2004
University Overview
Skills
Contact development
Timeline
Political Affairs Officer
United Nations Mission for Somalia (UNSOM)
09.2022 - Current
Area Manager for
NIS Foundation, a Norwegian Agency under Ministry of Foreign Affairs
01.2014 - 08.2022
Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist
PBI2 Polaris Global Management
01.2014 - 12.2014
National Correspondent/Reporter
Spanish News Agency (EFE)
01.2011 - 12.2022
Director General for
BARBAAR INITIATIVE
01.2009 - 12.2013
Board of Director for
HARQAN PROJECT SERVICES Ltd
01.2008 - Current
Associate Program Officer
United Nations Office For Project Services, AF
02.2006 - 12.2009
United Nations University For Peace- Africa Branch
Master of Arts from Political Science (Peace, Governance and Development)
04.2001
Jobkey University
Bachelor of Arts from Political Science
04.2001
KALU Institute
Master’s degree from International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid
MIIM Institute
Postgraduate Diploma from Public Administration and Conflict Management
DIC Institute
Diploma from Community Development and Humanitarian study
Indian Ocean University
Bachelor's degree from Business Administration
Al-badri Media Services
Diploma from Journalism and Mass Communication
SOCOMIN TECH Institute
Diploma from Computer knowledge, as Software, Hardware and Internet programme
Languages
Somali (Mai/Maxaa Tiri) Mother tongue
English: Writing and speaking frequently
Arabic: Writing and speaking normally
Kiswahili Good
Personal Data
Personal Data
- Name: Muktar Isak Abdi
- Date of Birth: 1982
- Birth place: Huddur
- Nationality: Somalia
- Sex: Male
- Marital Status: Married
- Address: Mogadishu-Somalia
- E-mail: eco.bako1100@gmail.com
- Contact: +252615581663
References
References
1. Yusuf Moalim Amin, Board of Director for Harqan Project Services Ltd, Email: harqanofficesom@gmail.com, +254717091855
2. Mustaf, Haji Abdinor, NIS Security & Political Affairs Manager, mustafa.somalia@nis-foundation.org, +252615291100
3. Christina Hajdu, UNSOM Political Affairs Officer, Email: hajdu@un.org
References
References
1. Yusuf Moalim Amin, Board of Director for Harqan Project Services Ltd, Email: harqanofficesom@gmail.com, +254717091855
2. Mustaf, Haji Abdinor, NIS Security & Political Affairs Manager, mustafa.somalia@nis-foundation.org, +252615291100
3. Christina Hajdu, UNSOM Political Affairs Officer, Email: hajdu@un.org
Workshop Attended
Workshop Attended
- May 2017 Stabilization project cycle management by NIS foundation
- Nov 2017 Strategic communication role in stabilization by NIS foundation
- April 2016 Security training by INSO/NGO consortium in Mogadishu
- Oct 2014 Security Analyst Training by PBI2 in Mogadishu
- Nov 2014 M&E training for PBI2/TRANSTEC.
- Sep 2014 Mass Media Training by Albadri Media Services
- March 2015 Research Training by Columbia University with AMS
Personal Data
Personal Data
- Name: Muktar Isak Abdi
- Date of Birth: 1982
- Birth place: Huddur
- Nationality: Somalia
- Sex: Male
- Marital Status: Married
- Address: Mogadishu-Somalia
- E-mail: eco.bako1100@gmail.com
- Contact: +252615581663