Hussein Moalim

Hussein Sheikh-Ali is the National Security Advisor to the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia H.E Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

He shapes and provides an overarching strategic guidance to the national security vision of the government.

Prior to his current role, he was the Chairman of Hiraal Institute, Somalia’s premier security think- tank which he founded in 2018.

He has also served as the National Security Advisor to President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo. Prior to this post, and for more than three years, he held the position of Senior Security Advisor and the Principal Counterterrorism Advisor to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud during his first term. He was also a member of the National Security Council (NSC), the highest decision-making body for security issues in the Federal Government of Somalia – of which he fondly took part in its recommencement.

He took a key guiding role in the drafting of and accomplishing several milestone security literatures such as the National Security Architecture, National Security Policy, National Counterterrorism Strategy, National Strategy and Action Plan for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE), Amnesty and Reconciliation Policy on Al-Shabaab among others.

Hussein has also spearheaded the creation of the Financial Reporting Centre (FRC) and the High-Level Defection (HLD) Program. Both programs contributed immensely to the counterterrorism efforts in Somalia.

Outside of the Office of the President, Hussein Sheikh-Ali served for more than five years as the External Security Director in the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA). His portofolio included: counterterrorism, counter-piracy, counter-intelligence, and liaison work with foreign partners. He also briefly served as Deputy Director-General of NISA.

Hussein Sheikh-Ali has an undergraduate degree in History and MA in Intelligence and Security Studies.