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.

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

  • Nicholas Oloo Omondi

    M&E and Business Development Coordinator

    Nicholas Oloo is a Results Based Management, Monitoring and Evaluation specialist with over 15 years’ professional experience in monitoring and evaluation across the East Africa region, including Somalia. His experience stretches towards developing and institutionalizing project M&E frameworks, systems and tools, facilitating project baseline surveys, mid-term and final evaluations, using the OECD/DAC and United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) principles and criteria.

    He holds a Master’s degree in Project Planning and Management from the University of Nairobi and is currently pursuing his Doctorate degree (PhD) in Strategic Management from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).

  • Fardosa B. Mohamed

    Communication and Business Development BSc, MPH, M&E

    Fardosa is an international development practitioner with proven experience in public Health in conjunction with developing and implementing creative strategic communications. Fardosa has managed and has experience in various community development project life cycle, including project design, grant and report writing, monitoring and evaluation, partnership building and stakeholder relations. Working knowledge of EU, USAID, World Bank and UN donor requirements. Previously administered inter-agency and inter-ministerial humanitarian coordination efforts.

  • Sagal Mohamoud

    Operations Manager

    Has over 13 years of senior level experience in management (Operations, Financial, Logistics and Human Resources), Procurement and M&E. She has extensive experience conducting M&E assessment in Somalia. She also possesses in-depth knowledge of USAID rules and regulations due to over 8 years working on USAID funded projects. Her strengths include analytical and problem-solving skills, and proven success in planning/implementing proactive organizational procedures and systems. She is people-oriented and has excellent communication and organizational skills. She has Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia, USA.

    As a Cash-for-Work expert, she worked on projects in Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan. In Somalia she managed the Cash-for-Work program in Puntland – created after the Tsunami hit the Bender Bayla region in 2004.

  • 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.

Team Structure