Meet the Gala Keynote Speaker

Dr. Osman Sheikh Ahmed is an economist. He holds a PhD in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a graduate of the Executive Development Program of Harvard University Business School. As a former official of the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, and the Islamic Development Bank, he has worked in both the public and private sectors in the United States and the Middle East. Dr. Ahmed has also taught economics at several U.S. universities, including American University in Washington D.C., North Carolina Central University, and Elon University. He is the principal economic adviser to the President of Somaliland. Dr. Ahmed has written extensively on economic and social development issues.