Abdirahman Duale Beyle (Cabdiraxmaan Ducaale Beyle): economist, foreign minister and finance minister

Who is he?

Abdirahman Duale Beyle (Somali: Cabdiraxmaan Ducaale Beyle), also written Abdirahman D. Beileh, is a Somali economist, politician, poet and songwriter. He was Somalia's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation from January 2014 to January 2015, and Minister of Finance from 29 March 2017 to 2 August 2022 (Wikipedia, Abdirahman Beyle).

Early life and the African Development Bank

He was born in 1955 or 1956 in Arabsiyo, in the Gabiley area of the northwest. He studied finance and economics, took an MBA at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse and a PhD at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (Wikipedia, Abdirahman Beyle). He taught economics, statistics and finance at universities in Saudi Arabia and the United States, then joined the African Development Bank as a finance officer. He worked there as an economist, manager and director, and his last post was head of the bank's Department of Agriculture and Agro-Industry, where he oversaw about 135 projects worth $3.5 billion and more than 100 staff (same source, citing the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership, where he sat on the board of trustees). He also helped fund a school in Awdal (same source).

Foreign minister, 2014 to 2015

Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed named him foreign minister on 17 January 2014, succeeding Fowziya Yusuf Haji Adan (Wikipedia, Abdirahman Beyle). During his year in office:

• In February 2014 he signed an agreement with the UN Special Representative, Nicholas Kay, setting the terms of cooperation between the federal government and the United Nations, and signed agreements with Ethiopia on police, information and aviation (same source).
• In July 2014 China reopened its embassy in Mogadishu; its chargé d'affaires, Wei Hongtian, presented his credentials to Beyle on 3 July (same source).
• In October 2014 the ministry closed nine embassies abroad, including those in Libya, Syria, Germany, England and Malaysia, for financial reasons (same source).

He handed over to Abdisalam Omer Hadliye on 14 February 2015 (same source).

Finance minister, 2017 to 2022

He became finance minister on 29 March 2017 under President Mohamed Abdullahi "Farmaajo" and Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire, and stayed under Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble. He was succeeded by Elmi Mohamud Noor on 2 August 2022 (Wikipedia, Abdirahman Beyle).

His time in office covered the first stages of debt relief. In November 2019, with World Bank Vice President Hafez Ghanem beside him, he said Somalia would reach the "decision point" of the debt relief process by February 2020 (Hiiraan Online, 4 November 2019). The IMF and World Bank declared Somalia had reached that point on 25 March 2020 (World Bank, 25 March 2020). On 31 March 2020 he headed Somalia's delegation when Paris Club creditor countries agreed to cancel $1,358 million and reschedule $1,266 million of its debt (Paris Club, Somalia, 31 March 2020). See Debt relief.

Songs and poems

He has written more than 75 songs and poems, mostly on Somali nationalism and patriotism. Titles include Qiiro Calan (The Flag Grieves), Dhalinyaro (Youth), Somalia Waa Mashruuc (Somalia Is a Project), Ina Jicimbir and Lugtay Wax I Jiidayaan (Something Holds Me Back) (Wikipedia, Abdirahman Beyle).

Sources disagree

• His name. Wikipedia uses Beyle; the Paris Club, Hiiraan Online and the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership use Beileh (Paris Club; Hiiraan Online).
• The timing of the decision point. He said in November 2019 that Somalia would reach it in February 2020, or in January as an exception (Hiiraan Online). The World Bank announced it on 25 March 2020 (World Bank).