Mohamud frequented primary and secondary schools in his hometown. He later moved to Somalia’s capital Mogadishu in 1978, where he studied for three years at the local Somali National University. In 1981, he earned an undergraduate diploma in technology from the institution.

In a professional capacity, Mohamud accepted a position as an instructor and trainer at the Lafole Technical Secondary School. He later joined the Somali National University-affiliated Technical Teachers’ Training College in 1984. In 1986, he became the department’s head.

In 1986, Mohamud journeyed to India and began attending Bhopal University (now Barkatullah University). There, he completed a master’s degree in technical education in 1988. Mohamud is also a graduate of Eastern Mennonite University’s Summer Peacebuilding Institute based in Harrisonburg, Virginia. In 2001, he completed three of the SPI’s intensive courses, studying mediation, trauma healing, and designing learner-centered trainings.

Upon assuming office, President Mohamud and his Cabinet resumed efforts by Somali and international stakeholders to end the 21-year UN arms embargo on Somalia, the oldest such global weapons blockade. The Security Council had imposed the prohibition in 1992, shortly after the start of the civil war and the toppling of the Siad Barre regime, in order to stop the flow of weapons to feuding militia groups. An eventual repeal of the embargo had been among the future objectives of the signatories in the transitional Roadmap political process of 2011–2012. Mohamud’s government, Somali security analysts and military experts argued that lifting the ban on the procurement of arms would facilitate the Somali authorities’ attempts at strengthening the Somali Armed Forces, and would more effectively equip the military to quash the remnants of the Islamist insurgency. The United States, African Union, Arab League, and IGAD all backed the proposal. In March 2013, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon likewise urged Security Council members to vote to remove the sanctions so as to help the Somali authorities fortify their security apparatus and consolidate military gains.

When the civil war broke out in the early 1990s, Mohamud remained in Somalia and acted as a consultant with various NGOs, UN bureaus, and peace and development projects. He worked as an education officer for UNICEF in the central and southern parts of the country from 1993 to 1995. In 1999, he also co-established the Somali Institute of Management and Administration (SIMAD) in the capital. The institution subsequently grew into the SIMAD University, with Mohamud acting as dean until 2010.

Mohamud entered Somali politics the following year, when he established the independent Peace and Development Party (PDP). PDP members unanimously elected him as the party’s chairman in April 2011, with a mandate to serve as leader for the next three years.

In August 2012, Mohamud was selected as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the newly formed Federal Parliament of Somalia. Besides academic and civic work, he is also a successful entrepreneur.

On 10 September 2012, legislators elected Mohamud President of Somalia during the country’s 2012 presidential elections. Members of parliament marked their ballot papers behind a curtain before casting them in a clear box in front of foreign envoys and hundreds of Somali men and women as well as being broadcast live on television. After the first round of voting, former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed emerged as the frontrunner, amassing 64 votes. Mohamud was a close second with 60 votes, and Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali placed third with 32 votes. Along with the fourth-place finisher Abdiqadir Osoble, Ali later chose to drop out ahead of the second round. Both challengers, along with the other hopefuls that were vying for the post, thereafter reportedly instructed their supporters to back Mohamud’s candidacy. Mohamud went on to earn a lopsided win in the final round, defeating Ahmed 71–29% (190 votes vs. 79 votes).

On 16 September 2012, Mohamud was formally inaugurated as President of Somalia at a ceremony attended by various foreign leaders and dignitaries. UN Special Envoy to Somalia Mahiga described the moment as the beginning of a “new era” for the nation as well as the conclusion of the transitional period.

On 6 October 2012, President Mohamud appointed political newcomer Abdi Farah Shirdon as the new Prime Minister of Somalia. On 4 November 2012, Shirdon named a new Cabinet, which was later endorsed by the legislature on 13 November 2012.

On 12 September 2012, while President Mohamud was meeting with foreign delegates in Mogadishu, two suicide bombers and two gunmen dressed in government uniforms attempted an attack on the Jazeera Hotel where the dignitaries had convened. There were reportedly around 10 casualties, among which were three Somali security detail, one AU peacekeeper, and the assailants themselves. None of the assembled statesmen, including Kenyan Foreign Minister Sam Ongeri, were harmed. Seemingly unfazed by the incidents, President Mohamud continued his speech before the gathered press and foreign officials, stating that “things like what’s happening now outside will continue for some time, but I’m sure and I’m confident it’s the last things that’s taking place here in Somalia[…] We have been hearing such events frequently, but this is a special case. We didn’t hear it for the last couple of months even.” He added that “first and foremost we will address the security issue. Priority number one is security and priority number two and priority number three.” The Al-Shabaab militant group later claimed responsibility for the attacks. According to Somali government officials, AU forces have assumed responsibility for President Mohamud’s security while investigations are launched into the incidents.

On 3 September 2013, a roadside bomb detonated near vehicles in President Mohamud’s convoy in Merca. One Somali soldier was injured in the blast, but Mohamud was unharmed and continued on to his destination. Al-Shabaab later claimed responsibility for the explosion. Abdirahman Omar Osman, a spokesman for the president, dismissed the group’s statement as propaganda, indicating that Mohamud’s convoy was not targeted and that it was uncertain what might have happened to an earlier convoy.

A 2013 report by U.N. investigators said individuals in Mohamud’s government used the Somali central bank as a personal “slush fund”, with an average 80 percent of withdrawals made for private purposes. The presidency and the then-central bank governor Abdusalam Omer have strongly denied that accusation. the Monitoring Group described the system of “fadlan” payments from the Bank to private individuals or to public officials for private purposes, which the Group found in 2011 amounted to 87 per cent of all withdrawals and in 2012 to 76 per cent. Those figures declined to 72 per cent following the establishment of the Federal Government. The Group has reviewed the accounts of the Bank since its previous report and estimates that the rate of “fadlan” payments to individuals from the Bank remains largely between 70 and 75 per cent. Notably, however, following the publication of the Group’s previous report in July 2013, the names of all individuals receiving payments in the Bank’s accounts were replaced with coded numbers to obscure the identity of the recipients. It is unclear who holds the master code list with the names against the numbers.

the UN Monitoring Group obtained documentary evidence that demonstrates that individuals close to the presidency are conspiring to take private control of recovered overseas assets, which should be under the fiduciary control of the Central Bank upon recovery. The effort was undertaken pursuant to a contract signed in July 2013 between the Federal Government and the United States law firm of Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy and Ecker, P.A., and led to the resignation of Yussur Abrar as Governor of the Bank.

In April 2013, President Mohamud resumed national reconciliation talks between the central government in Mogadishu and the regional authorities in Hargeisa. Organized by the government of Turkey in Ankara, the meeting ended with a signed agreement between Mohamud and Ahmed Mahamoud Silanyo, President of the northwestern Somaliland region, agreeing to allocate fairly to the Somaliland region its portion of the development aid earmarked for Somalia as a whole and to cooperate on security.

In August 2013, the Somali federal government signed a national reconciliation agreement in Addis Ababa with the autonomous Jubaland administration based in southern Somalia. Endorsed by the federal State Minister for the Presidency Farah Abdulkadir on behalf of President Mohamud, the pact was brokered by the Foreign Ministry of Ethiopia and came after protracted bilateral talks. Under the terms of the agreement, Jubaland will be administered for a two-year period by a Juba Interim Administration and led by the region’s incumbent president, Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Madobe). The regional president will serve as the chairperson of a new Executive Council, to which he will appoint three deputies. Management of Kismayo’s seaport and airport will also be transferred to the Federal Government after a period of six months, and revenues and resources generated from these infrastructures will be earmarked for Jubaland’s service delivery and security sectors as well as local institutional development. Additionally, the agreement includes the integration of Jubaland’s military forces under the central command of the Somali National Army (SNA), and stipulates that the Juba Interim Administration will command the regional police. UN Special Envoy to Somalia Nicholas Kay hailed the pact as “a breakthrough that unlocks the door for a better future for Somalia,” with AUC, UN, EU and IGAD representatives also present at the signing.

In November 2013, President Mohamud asked Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon to resign from office on the grounds that Shirdon was allegedly ineffective in the job. Mohamud was reportedly acting on the advice of the State Minister for Presidency, Farah Abdulkadir. On 12 November 2013, Shirdon confirmed that there was a dispute between himself and the president, but indicated that the row was constitutional rather than political. He also asserted that the matter should be resolved in parliament. According to MP Mohamed Abdi Yusuf, the rift between Mohamud and Shirdon centered over through what constitutional mechanism and by whom the Cabinet was ultimately to be formed.

On 24 November 2013, 168 MPs led by former TFG Parliament Speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan endorsed a document submitted to parliament, which outlined a motion against Prime Minister Shirdon’s administration. A parliamentary vote of confidence was later held against Shirdon on 2 December 2013. Parliament Speaker Mohamed Osman Jawari subsequently announced that 184 of the present MPs had voted against Shirdon, whereas 65 legislators had voted to retain him. On 5 December 2013, Shirdon released a statement confirming that he and his Cabinet accepted the legislature’s decision. UN Special Representative for Somalia Nicholas Kay paid tribute to the outgoing Prime Minister, noting that Shirdon had endeavoured to promote growth and progress and was an important principal in establishing the New Deal Compact between Somalia and its international partners. He also commended the legislators on adhering to procedural rules during the vote, and pledged to work constructively with the succeeding administration.

On 12 December 2013, President Mohamud named veteran economist Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed as the new Prime Minister.

In June 2013, attendants at the ministerial meeting of the European Union and over 70 nations in the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) approved the Somali government’s request to join the Cotonou Agreement. Somalia was immediately granted observer status, with full membership earmarked for 2014. The Cotonou Agreement promotes sustainable development and the reduction and eventual elimination of poverty in ACP member nations. It also aims to integrate ACP countries into the world economy via stronger participation in the drafting of national development strategies, and to advance criminal justice and fight against impunity through the International Criminal Court. President Mohamud welcomed the decision and asserted that the treaty would facilitate the ongoing national reconstruction process, as Somalia would be eligible to receive EU development projects. According to Joe Costello, Ireland’s Minister of State for Trade and Development, the endorsement “opens a new chapter in relations between the EU and Somalia and constitutes a visible sign that Somalia has regained its status as a fully-fledged member of the international community.”

In April 2013, Mohamud was named to the Time 100, TIME magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. His efforts at advancing national reconciliation, anti-corruption measures, and socio-economic and security sector reforms in Somalia were cited as reasons for the selection.

In January 2014, at an African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, President Mohamud requested an extension of the UN Security Council’s weapons purchasing mandate for Somalia. He indicated that the Somali defence forces required better military equipment and arms to more effectively combat militants. On 5 March 2014, the UN Security Council unanimously voted to extend the partial easing of the arms embargo on Somalia until 25 October of the year.

In February–March 2014, Mohamud began a reformation of the Mogadishu Chief of Staff and Benadir regional administration in an effort to strengthen their senior leadership. On 27 February 2014, he issued a presidential decree naming former military court chairman Hassan Mohamed Hussein Mungab as the new Mayor of Mogadishu and Governor of the Banaadir region. Part of an effort to firm up on municipal security, the appointment came after consultations with Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed and Interior Minister Abdullahi Godah Barre. Mungab replaced Mohamed Nur (Tarsan) in the mayorship. The same month, President Mohamud also replaced Kamal Dahir Hassan “Gutale” as Chief of Staff. Through a presidential decree issued on 10 March, Mohamud likewise sacked the General Secretary of the Benadir regional administration Abdikafi Hassan, as well as Benadir’s Deputy Governors Ali Iikar Gure and Warsame Mohamed Ahmed “Jodah”. Mohamud concurrently reassigned former Chief of Staff Hassan as the Benadir administration’s new Deputy Governor.

In August 2014, on the occasion of the U.S.-Africa summit in Washington, D.C., President Mohamud announced a number of new development projects aimed at Somalia’s youth. The conference was the largest of its kind to be held by an incumbent United States administration, and was attended by the heads of state and government of all of Africa’s countries. Of the new youth initiatives that the Federal Government of Somalia is slated to implement, Mohamud indicated that a comprehensive youth empowerment framework would be prioritized, with attendant legislation and policies. A university accreditation system, an employment creation program, and youth enterprise would also be developed. Additionally, local and regional youth representation in civil, political and governmental activities would be enhanced. To this end, two Youth Advisers would be named to the Office of the President, and the minimum age for prospective officeholders would be lowered to 18. Leadership of Somalia’s first national park would also be assigned to young managers so as to strengthen environmental preservation and potential tourism opportunities. In coastal areas, jobs in marine ecosystem management and sustainable fishing would be generated. Additional opportunities would be made available through the introduction of fiber optics and 3G. The federal government would likewise support the establishment of the Somali Film Council. According to Mohamud, the Somali federal government delegation is scheduled to meet with its U.S. partners to discuss further ways to promote economic growth and investment in Somalia, with the objective of creating new opportunities, empowering youth, and strengthening ties between both nations.

In October 2014, President Mohamud officially opened the International Bank of Somalia (IBS) at a ceremony in Mogadishu. A number of invited officials attended the inauguration event, including Mayor of Mogadishu and Benadir Governor Hassan Mohamed Hussein Mungab, Minister of Finance Hussein Abdi Halane, Minister of Public Works and Reconstruction Nadifo Mohamed Osman, Vice Chairman of the Central Bank of Somalia, Chamber of Commerce representatives, and businesspeople. The bank was established by a group of entrepreneurs, whom the gathered officials commended for their commitment to providing international banking services to facilitate local commercial activities. Additionally, the Chairman of the bank indicated that the institution possessed a swift code permitting internal banking, and that its emphasis would be on developing the nation’s livestock, agricultural and other economic resources.

In October–November 2014, a rift developed between President Mohamud and new Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed over a cabinet reshuffle by Ahmed. On 25 October, Premier Ahmed transferred former Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Farah Sh. Abdulkadir Mohamed, Peace and Development Party member and former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mahad Mohamed Salad, and other key allies of Mohamud to other positions within the Council of Ministers. Mohamud immediately issued a statement declaring the cabinet reshuffle null and void, arguing that he had not been consulted about the move. He also ordered all of the reassigned ministers to carry on with their ordinary duties.

On 17 December 2014, President Mohamud appointed former Premier Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke as the new Prime Minister.

In November 2014, President Mohamud along with UN Under-Secretary for Political Affairs Jeffrey D. Feltman co-chaired an international conference in Copenhagen on the New Deal Compact for Reconstruction and Development. Representatives from Somalia’s Puntland, Jubaland, Galmudug and Southwestern federal states also attended the summit, as well as delegations from over 140 countries. Mohamud indicated therein that the New Deal Compact was a Somali-led initiative, through which the Federal Government of Somalia developed legal frameworks, initiated state and political reform, re-structured key institutions, and established a foundation for allocating international development assistance toward the central authorities’ priority areas. Additionally, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt Sameh Shoukry reaffirmed his administration’s support for Somalia’s social and security sectors, and noted the Egyptian government’s various political brokering efforts.

On 7 October 2015, al-Shabab gunmen ambushed and killed Dr Liban Osman, nephew of President Mohamud, and one other man as their car was traveling through the Wadajir neighborhood of the capital city Mogadishu.

In February 2015, Mohamud chaired a three-day consultation forum in Mogadishu with presidents Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, Ahmed Mohamed Islam and Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan of the Puntland, Jubaland and South West State regional administrations, respectively. Under the rubric of the New Deal for Somalia, Mohamud held additional national reconciliation talks with the regional leaders in Garowe in April and May of the year. The officials therein signed a seven-point agreement in Garowe authorizing the immediate deployment of the 3,000 troops from Puntland toward the Somali National Army. They also agreed to integrate soldiers from the other regional states into the SNA.

In January 2015, at an event commemorating the 42nd anniversary of the official adoption of the Somali Latin script, Mohamud announced that the Somali language would be used for all government documents at every state office in Somalia. The President indicated that foreign languages would thereafter be reserved for communication with foreign representatives. He also noted that Somali was part of UNESCO’s cross-border languages category, and asserted that no nation achieved significant development without first ensuring the primacy of its native language. Additionally, Mohamud announced several associated initiatives that are slated to be implemented, including a new educational curriculum with Somali as the primary language of instruction, rehabilitation of monuments for fallen heroes, completion of renovations on the National Museum, and finalization of the Regional Somali Language Academy in conjunction with the governments of Djibouti and Ethiopia.

In March 2015, Mohamud issued a presidential decree dissolving the extant Judicial Service Commission. The order did not pertain to the Attorney General and Chief Judge of the High Court positions. Additionally, the dissolution letter from the Office of the President indicated that the panel was inconsistent with the Provisional Constitution and the judicial service law. It recommended instead reformation of the Judicial Service Commission in accordance with Article 109 of the national constitution.

In March 2015, Mohamud held a meeting with Somali Disabled People Council (SDPC) representatives in Mogadishu. The officials touched on ways in which the government can assist differently abled individuals, among various other matters. Mohamud therein vowed to earmark a governmental agency for the disabled, which would liaise with other state offices and gather data on the subpopulation. Additionally, he indicated that the government would organize a nationwide conference devoted to the differently abled. SDPC representative Ali Abdullahi Salad in turn applauded Mohamud for his dedication to the disabled cause.

In April 2015, President Mohamud and Prime Minister Sharmarke in conjunction with the Federal Cabinet officially launched the Special Task Force on Remittances (STFR). The multi-agency initiative is mandated with facilitating the Federal Government of Somalia’s new national policy pertaining to the money transfer industry. Its main priority is centered on establishing a comprehensive strategy and a consultative implementation plan for the formalization of the local financial sector. Additionally, the STFR is tasked with helping to foster a business environment and financial infrastructure conducive to growth. It is also empowered to coordinate and speed up the endorsement of financial governance instruments and transparency associated legislation, such as the laws on Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter Financing of Terrorism (CFT). In accordance with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)’s recommendations, the STFR is in turn slated to oversee the Somali federal government’s campaign to ratify various international treaties. The Task Forces’ membership is scheduled to be announced shortly, and will be drawn from government institutions, the remittance industry, banks and other key private sector stakeholders.

In April 2015, Mohamud officially inaugurated National Tree Week at a ceremony in Mogadishu. He therein planted a tree at the Daljirka-Daahsoon junction as a symbol of the environmental importance of plants. Mohamud also announced that his administration was slated to launch an ecological preservation project as part of the broader national reconstruction process, and noted the centrality of flora in human society and wildlife. Additionally, he encouraged the citizenry to avail itself of the occasion to plant as many trees as possible.

In January 2015, President Mohamud signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on behalf of the Federal Republic of Somalia at a ceremony in Mogadishu. It is the most widely ratified global human rights treaty, with all but two countries party to it. The signing event was held at the Hamar Jab Jab School in the capital and was attended by various domestic and international officials, including Interim Minister for Information Mustaf Sheikh Ali Dhuhulow, Interim Minister for Women and Human Rights Khadijo Mohamed Diriye, Interim Minister for Agriculture Abdi Mohamed Bafo, Interim Minister for Justice Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir, various federal legislators, UN Special Representative for Somalia Nicholas Kay, and UNICEF Representative for Somalia Steven Lauwerier. The Federal Parliament had already ratified the agreement in December 2014. Following the subsequent signing of the treaty by President Mohamud, the Federal Government is now slated to formulate and adopt child friendly systems and policies, implement steps geared toward child development, survival, protection and participation, and produce periodic reports on its progress toward that end for the Committee on the Rights of the Child.

In early November, UN Ambassador Kay and EU representatives Alexander Rondos and Michele Cervone issued separate press statements urging President Mohamud and Prime Minister Ahmed to set aside their differences for the greater communal good, and to continue instead working toward the goals enshrined in Vision 2016. Kay also expressed concern about the possibility of vote buying marring a parliamentary vote of confidence, and indicated that any such potential political disruption would be reported to the UN Security Council. Similarly, Rondos and Cervone in their capacity as financial stakeholders urged the Federal MPs to adhere to standard legislative protocols. On 3 November, President Mohamud issued a statement assuring the international community of his administration’s continued commitment to fulfilling Vision 2016. He also called on foreign partners to respect Somalia’s sovereignty and allow its legislative process to proceed constitutionally. On 4 November, during a special parliamentary session, several federal lawmakers expressed disappoint over Ambassador Kay’s statement, asking that he either apologize or step down from office. Other legislators from Puntland supported Kay’s press release, which emphasized governmental continuity and unity.

On 24 November, Prime Minister Ahmed released a statement indicating that he made the Cabinet reshuffle to ameliorate the performance of the Council of Ministers and resolve internal wrangles. He likewise indicated that the directive was in line with Article 100 (a) and (b) of the Provisional Constitution, and that the Office of the President’s decree attempting to nullify the reshuffle contravened those constitutional clauses. Additionally, Ahmed asserted that the ensuing motion of no confidence was motivated by displeasure over the transfer of one particular Cabinet minister to another portfolio. He also suggested that the motion was regarded by most legislators and the general public as having been driven by graft, that the attempts to table it bypassed the rules and procedures of the parliament, and that it ultimately was an obstacle toward fulfilling the goals enshrined in Vision 2016. Ahmed also commended lawmakers for countering the motion, and applauded the House of the People’s leadership for acknowledging that the motion was an impediment on the legislature’s functions and instead calling for reconciliatory dialogue to resolve the impasse.