Head of Research and Policy
Samira A. Gaid, another founding director of Balqiis, is a leading regional analyst with over two decades of professional experience in the Horn of Africa, including a decade working at the highest levels of Somalia’s national security architecture.
Her innovative approach to solving complex problems rapidly led to her appointment as the first Head of SSR and Principal Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Somalia.
Under Samira’s pragmatic leadership, a concerted reform agenda for Somalia’s security sector was successfully implemented, culminating in the National Security Sector Reform Strategy and Roadmap, which laid the foundation for Somalia’s National Security Architecture.
As an institutionalist, Samira’s work focused on organizational change, creating a unified structure that enhanced transparency, accountability, and efficiency within the National Armed Forces. Her notable accomplishments in Somalia’s security sector reform have earned her numerous awards and recognitions, including being a distinguished graduate of the National Defence University in Washington.