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In a move that may likely easen past criticism on the Farmaajo administration that it is gender insensitive in it’s appointments, Colonel Zakia Hussein Ahmed was on Thursday promoted to General and Deputy Chief of the Somalia Police Force.
This is the highest ranking position for a female police officer in Somalia.
It has been a long journey for Gen Zakia ever since she made the decision to relocate from London in 2013 to Mogadishu to be part of the national building of a country she is patriotic about.
In June 2014, she was appointed the new Director of Community Policing at the Somali Police Force. The first woman in many years to hold a senior position within the SPF.
Gen Zakia was the chief commander of community policing and public relations at the Mogadishu-based national agency.
Gen Zakia has 14 years experience in activism, research, campaigning and organisation management.
She served as the Secretary General of the Hanoolaato Party, a Somali youth advocacy group.
Although born in Somalia she was raised and educated in Sweden and UK. In January this year she decided to relocate permanently to my native country.
She hold a Master’s degree in International Relations and a postgraduate certificate in Diplomacy in Islam.
When first arrived in Somalia she worked as Programme Manager and Researcher for the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies – Somalia’s first think-tank and was a part-time university lecturer at the University of Somalia.
