The American University of Business and Social Sciences (AUBSS) and the International Association for Quality Assurance in Pre-Tertiary and Higher Education (QAHE) have jointly awarded the Doctor of Public Administration (honoris causa) to Mr. Hassan Omar Abdillahi, in recognition of his record of public service, institutional leadership, community organisation and media work in Somalia and Canada.
Mr. Abdillahi has served as Secretary-General of the Jubaland Land Authority since 2014. In that capacity he has led the planning, administration and management of lands in the Federal Member State of Jubaland, implemented Kismayo’s digital masterplan and zoning regulations, overseen the mapping of urban lands into GPS systems, and addressed land disputes through adjudication processes conducted in accordance with applicable laws. He has conducted regular public presentations on the digital masterplan.
In Canada he founded and continues to lead AGA Media and Ogaal Radio, 88.9FM Toronto. He has anchored multi-media news programming, interviews and commentaries, directed operations, and provided a platform for Somali politicians, artists and community voices. Ogaal Radio has been described as the largest Somali-language radio show in Canada, reaching listeners in Toronto and Southern Ontario and internationally through the internet. He received the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada Award in 2009, presented by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and again in 2013, presented by 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.
Mr. Abdillahi served as President of the Somali Community Association of Ontario from 2000 to 2004 and as Executive Director of the Horn of Africa Relief Society in Toronto from 1997 to 2000. He has worked with elected Canadian officials at the provincial and federal levels, advocated for policy platforms favourable to Somalia, and facilitated public meetings between Canadian parliamentarians and Somali-Canadians. He is a dual Somali and Canadian citizen, resident in Toronto, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Biology from Lafoole, Somalia National University, together with MBA Leadership and MBA Management qualifications from the International MBA Institute.
The Doctor of Public Administration (honoris causa) is a recognition of public and professional contribution. It is not an academic degree conferred by examination, and it confers no right to supervise or to award qualifications. The award is announced jointly by AUBSS at www.aubss.edu.pl and by QAHE at www.qahe.org.
