Who we are

We are a research and consultancy firm that was established in 2009 to work with humanitarian and development partners and ensure powerful transformations in the development of the horn of Africa. Dansom has since developed a network of thematic and regional experts based in Somalia and Kenya, with a unique level of access to hard-to-reach areas and a strong focus on security and socio-political and economic development in Eastern Africa.

Our Vision

To support the development of the horn of Africa by increasing understanding and knowledge through innovative approaches in socio-political engagement and strategic field-based research.

<span id=”mce_marker” data-mce-type=”bookmark”>?</span><span id=”__caret”>_</span>We have notably worked with international consultancies and international donor agencies on developing tailored community engagement strategies, political economy analysis and third party monitoring and evaluation programmes. Dansom is one of the very few organizations that have demonstrated their capacity to access any part of Somalia and engage meaningfully with, Federal, State, Regional and Local leaders. Our team includes subject matter experts and specialised practitioners combining experience in economic growth, agriculture, health, policy and strategic advisory, conflict and security, programme and organisational management, technical assistance, capacity building and third party monitoring and performance evaluation.

Our Core Values

Across projects, we have focused on integrating the following values in every part of our work:

Respect

To ensure our research is as inclusive as possible and makes sense of everyone’s views

Creativity

To solve the unique problems we face, and continuously adapt to a fast evolving context

Commitment

To overcome the challenges that inevitably arise and present them as opportunities

Accountability

To ensure the credibility of our recommendations and foster learning and knowledge

We have notably worked with international consultancies and international donor agencies on developing tailored community engagement strategies, political economy analysis and third party monitoring and evaluation programmes. Dansom is one of the very few organizations that have demonstrated their capacity to access any part of Somalia and engage meaningfully with, Federal, State, Regional and Local leaders. Our team includes subject matter experts and specialised practitioners combining experience in economic growth, agriculture, health, policy and strategic advisory, conflict and security, programme and organisational management, technical assistance, capacity building and third party monitoring and performance evaluation.

We have notably worked with international consultancies and international donor agencies on developing tailored community engagement strategies, political economy analysis and third party monitoring and evaluation programmes. Dansom is one of the very few organizations that have demonstrated their capacity to access any part of Somalia and engage meaningfully with, Federal, State, Regional and Local leaders. Our team includes subject matter experts and specialised practitioners combining experience in economic growth, agriculture, health, policy and strategic advisory, conflict and security, programme and organisational management, technical assistance, capacity building and third party monitoring and performance evaluation.

Our Team

  • Mahamed M. Dirir

    Managing Director

    Mahamad Mahab Dirir is a programming, management, social economic, development policy, conflict management, leadership, security and Monitoring and Evaluation Expert with over 20 years of experience in development cooperation and extensive experience working with donors and stakeholders throughout Somalia. As Founder and Executive Director of Dansom Research and Consultancy, he has worked since 2014 supervising numerous projects focused on M&E, including Third Party M&E, research, and project reviews. Mr. Dirir’s specific sector experience additionally includes governance, gender, agriculture, security and economics.

    In his role as Deputy Country Director at Solidarites International, he worked closely with stakeholders, including the Federal Government of Somalia and MOPIC, supporting authorities and administration officials with capacity building and improving access to service delivery in the humanitarian sector.

    He has also previously served as an Evaluation Consultant on an EC-funded project in Puntland, assessing achievement of project targets, recommending corrective measures, and developing guidance for EC support programming.

    As a native Somali, he has a keen understanding of the Somalia context, culture and the development needs of the country. In addition to his top-notch interpersonal skills, his established relationships with local actors help him to access difficult field locations and obtain needed information.

    In addition to his rich experience, Mr. Dirir holds a Master of Science degree in Agriculture Science/Land Use in Developing Countries and is fluent in Somali and English

  • Abdifatah Abdulahi Ali

    M&E Coordinator

    Mr Abdifatah Abdullahi is a dynamic M&E and evaluation professional with 10 years of combined experience in the horn of Africa across various sectors of food security and livelihood, education, WASH, shelter, health, Nutrition, governance, climate adaptation and resilience. He has practical experience in implementing projects and designing robust M&E systems suited to the needs of all the stakeholders with a clear consideration to the operational context.

    Before joining Dansom as head of projects, M&E and Research Abdifatah served as the M&E specialist for Mercy corps Kenya for the building Resilience Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disaster (BRACED) project based in Wajir, he also worked with Solidarities international as the Senior M&E Officer for Kenya-Somalia program overseeing over 10 projects from different donors including ECHO, EU, OFDA, AUSAID and DFID)

    Over the years he has amassed practical experience in Qualitative and Quantitative data collection and analysis including participatory impact assessment (PIA), most significant change, appreciative inquiry, in-depth interviews sampling and data quality assurance, and developing research frameworks. Mr Abdifatah holds bachelor in Development studies, he is also currently pursuing a master degree in project planning and management and he Speaks fluent Somali, Arabic, Swahili and English.

  • Dr. Zainab Ahmed

    Health Domain Manager

    Dr. Zainab Ahmed is the Health Domain Manager at Dansom Research and Consultancy. As a medical doctor and experienced researcher and M&E expert, she brings a wealth of knowledge to her role. Zainab has worked as a GBV advisor for the federal Ministry of Women and Human Rights Development, as well as with humanitarian NGOs such as CARE International and FCA. Her expertise in MEAL and technical proficiency as a technocrat has been instrumental in the success of multiple SDC-funded projects at Dansom, including HEAL and Chasp. Zainab also plays a critical role in coordinating with international partners and contextualizing their efforts in Somalia. Zainab’s dedication and passion for improving healthcare outcomes make her an invaluable member of the Dansom team.

  • Douglas Nzioka

    Administration and Operations Manager

    Douglas has over 12 years of senior level experience in management (Operations, Financial, Logistics and Human Resources), Procurement and M&E. He has extensive experience conducting M&E assessment and compliance in funded projects in Somalia.

    He also possesses in-depth knowledge of rules and regulations working on donor funded projects i.e., EU, USAID, UN agency plus others. His strengths include analytical and problem-solving skills, and proven success in planning/implementing proactive organizational procedures and systems.

    He holds a bachelor degree in business management (Accounting option) from Moi University, and also a certified public accountant (CPA-K) from Strathmore University and is currently pursuing his Master of Business Administration from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT)..

  • Brian O. Mauwa

    Statistician Data Scientist & ME Specialist

    Brian is an experienced Statistician, Data Scientist and MEL Specialist, with widespread experience in monitoring, verification, evaluation and learning. He has expert knowledge in participatory methodologies, research design (qualitative and quantitative); survey programming and data management; and tools (SPSS, STATA, SAS, R, CSPro, Askia, Advanced Excel, NVivo, Power BI etc.).

    Brian has over 12 years of professional work experience in his field of specialization. He is also experienced in the development of data collection tools for computer-aided interviews using various platforms including ODK, CSPro, Askia, Survey CTO, SurveyToGo, Google Forms etc. in the fields of livelihood, health, education, governance, entrepreneurship, agriculture etc., working with international and national private and public organizations across Kenya and the African continent, not limited to marginalized and hard to reach areas and marginalized rural communities. Prior to joining Dansom, Brian worked with International Business & Technical Consultants, Inc. (IBTCI) as a Data Manager under the USAID Somalia Program Support Services (USAID – SPSS). The main roles cut across Design, Field, Analysis and Reporting (DFAR) of the Monitoring, Verification, Evaluation and Learning activities; management of the indicator data by developing and maintaining Indicator Performance Tracking Table (IPTT) summarizing indicator analysis and reports; and Data Quality Assessment (DQA) for IP systems, structures and processes.

    Brian holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Statistics with Computing and other post graduate trainings in Data Science. At Dansom, he is the Analysis and Reporting Expert and has a knack for what he calls the 3-Ds (discipline of time, discipline of execution and attention to detail).

Team Structure