Hassan Omar Abdillahi is a Somali-Canadian public administrator, media founder and community leader whose work spans land administration in Jubaland and community organisation and broadcasting in Canada. He holds dual Somali and Canadian citizenship and resides in Toronto, Ontario.

Since 2014 he has served as Secretary-General of the Jubaland Land Authority. In that office he has led the planning, administration and management of lands in the Federal Member State of Jubaland. He has implemented Kismayo’s digital masterplan and zoning regulations, overseen the mapping of urban lands into GPS systems, and classified lands into legalized and deeded holdings and geometrically measured lands pending legalization. He has addressed land disputes through adjudication processes conducted in accordance with applicable laws, and has conducted regular public presentations on the digital masterplan, described as the first of its kind in the East African region.

In Canada he is the founder, president and anchor of AGA Media and of Ogaal Radio, 88.9FM Toronto. He has directed multi-media news programming, interviews and commentaries, amplified diaspora voices, and led teams of reporters and correspondents based in Canada, the United States, Europe, Somalia, South Africa, Kenya and elsewhere. Ogaal Radio has provided a forum for Somali politicians, including members of the executive, cabinet ministers and parliamentarians, and has offered a progressive voice for women, youth and other groups whose views are less often represented in mainstream media. The station has been described as the largest Somali-language radio show in Canada, broadcasting live on Sundays and reaching listeners in Toronto and Southern Ontario and internationally through the internet. He has also produced cultural shows, sponsored events featuring Somali artists, and presided over community and cultural ceremonies.

From 2000 to 2004 he was President of the Somali Community Association of Ontario, where he oversaw day-to-day operations, prepared the annual budget and presided over board meetings and community events. From 1997 to 2000 he was Executive Director of the Horn of Africa Relief Society in Toronto. He has established and maintained relations with elected Canadian officials and their staff at the provincial and federal levels, advocated for policy platforms favourable to Somalia, and facilitated public meetings between Canadian parliamentarians and Somali-Canadians. Earlier in his career he lectured in the Agronomy Department at Lafoole, Somalia National University, and served as head coach of the Somalia National Karate Team.

Mr. Abdillahi holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Biology from Lafoole, Somalia National University, a qualification that the University of Toronto Comparative Education Service deemed comparable to a bachelor’s degree specializing in Agriculture and Physical Education. He has also completed MBA Leadership and MBA Management qualifications from the International MBA Institute. He has received the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada Award twice, in 2009 from Prime Minister Stephen Harper and in 2013 from the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, the Honourable David C. Onley. In 2013 Toronto’s Grid Magazine named him among the 50 people who made Toronto a better place for giving a strong voice to the Somali-Canadian community.

The American University of Business and Social Sciences and the International Association for Quality Assurance in Pre-Tertiary and Higher Education have jointly awarded him the Doctor of Public Administration (honoris causa) in recognition of this record of public service, institutional leadership, community organisation and media work.