Hassan Ali Khaire
Hassan Ali Khaire, a former aid worker and oil executive, was named prime minister of Somalia by the country's new President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)

Somalia's newly-elected President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed or 'Farmaajo' as he is known, has appointed a new prime minister, Hassan Ali Khaire (Khayre).

In a first for a Somalian head of state, Farmaajo (Farmajo) took to Twitter to announce his choice on 24 February, a day after his inauguration at Aden Adde International Airport in the capital, Mogadishu. "I request you to work with him," Farmaajo wrote.

Key facts about Hassan Ali Khaire

  • Somali name: Xasan Cali Khayre
  • Date and place of birth: 15 April 1968 in central Somalia
  • Nationality: Dual Somali-Norwegian citizen
  • Previous roles: A primary school teacher in Norway before moving into the humanitarian sector

Who is Somalia's new prime minister?

Like Farmaajo, who has American citizenship, and the 125 out of 283 members of parliament recently elected, Khaire is also from the Somali diaspora.

The new prime minister, who has dual Somali-Norwegian nationality, is described by Somali and Western commentators as a logical choice for Farmaajo, who at 55 is also a young head of state.

Born in central Somalia, Khaire went to primary and secondary school in Mogadishu. At the onset of Somalia's civil war in 1990, he moved to Norway. The 49-year old obtained degrees from the University of Oslo (1998) and the Edinburgh Business School in Scotland (2001).

A newcomer to politics, Khaire has worked with a range of government officials in various capacities.

The prime minister has extensive experience in both the humanitarian field in which he worked as a regional director for the NGO Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). In his capacity as regional director for the NRC Horn of Africa, his motorcade was reportedly attacked by armed men, in June 2012, on the Somalia-Kenya border.

One of the drivers was killed instantly, others were shot and wounded. Four foreign humanitarian workers were kidnapped before they were released four days later.

Two and half years ago, Khaire moved into the oil industry sector, becoming an executive director for Africa at Soma Oil and Gas company, founded in 2013 to revive oil exploration in Somalia.

UK-based oil explorer Soma Oil and Gas was once suspected of corruption by the British authorities. The Serious Fraud Office in December last year abandoned its bribery investigation after failing to find enough evidence to prosecute. Soma Oil and Gas is chaired by the Baron Howard of Lympne, Michael Howard, the former Conservative party leader.

Khaire resigned from the company to take up the job of prime minister, a position he accepted in a video message posted on Somali online news platforms. In the footage, the he promised to form a government that was representative of the Somali people.

A Hawiye of the Abgaal sub-clan, Khaire's appointment is seen as preserving the balancing clan interests at the top of the executive, since President Farmaajo hails from the Darod clan.

Somalia