Shucayb Abdillahi

Co-Founder & Managing Director

Shucayb Abdillahi leads SomLite’s operations and sales campaigns. He works to expand the company’s customer base by identifying new markets across Somaliland and Eastern Ethiopia. Prior to joining SomLite, Shucayb gained in-depth experience in the business sector during his work with Somaliland Beverage Industry (Coca Cola’s Somaliland franchise). He utilizes his knowledge of local markets to connect with clients from urban, peri-urban, and rural communities and build SomLite’s regional sales networks.

Abdishakur Ahmed

Co-Founder & Managing Director

Abdishakur Ahmed leads SomLite’s business development. He has many years of experience working in the energy sector and other infrastructure projects in the Horn of Africa. Previously he was a project coordinator for a US $4.5MM initiative to upgrade the largest airport in Somaliland. Later, he was the Business Development Officer for SomPower Somaliland’s largest aggregated public utility holding with over 60% of the local market.

Abdishakur led the Somalia country study for the World Bank's global Readiness for Investment in Sustainable Energy initiative. He graduated with a B.A. in Finance from Abaarso Tech University in Hargeisa, Somaliland. And he is currently pursuing an MA in Sustainable International Development with a focus on Renewable Energy Development at Brandeis University in Massachusetts, USA.    

Samira Osman

Communication Officer

Samira Osman manages SomLite’s communications. She is responsible for managing relationships with suppliers and international partners. Before joining SomLite, Samira was a part of the Energy Management Team at Shiekh Secondary School. While at Shiekh Secondary School, Samira and her team won the Zayed Future Energy Prize for the Africa Region of Global High Schools Award. The award money was spent on the development of a solar-biogas hybrid system for Shiekh Secondary School.

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Additionally, Samira has worked with Forcier Consulting as a Somali-English translator. She worked at Forcier’s research office and translated reports and other memos. Samira graduated with a BA in Architecture and Urban Planning from Admas University in Hargeisa.

Hassan Mohamed

Technical Director

Hassan has 3 years of experience in the electricity and telecommunication sectors. He has worked as an electrical designer and site engineer for MEP construction projects. He has also worked for Etisalat, one of the leading telecommunication companies in the Middle East, as an electrical engineer. 

After working in the Middle East for several years, Hassan moved to Somaliland where he first worked for Huwad Energy, a sub-contractor of an Emirati port management company called DP World. He was a site engineer for their project in Berbera, and involved multiple electric projects at the Berbera Port. 

Hassan is currently working with SomLite, where he trains SomLite’s staff and community-based sales agents on the functionality and maintenance of SomLite’s solar products. He is also responsible to manage relationships with product suppliers, and identify new technologies that will enhance the quality of its products and services. Hassan has a B.S in Electrical Engineering from The Islamic University of Science and Technology in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Dr. Ahmed Essa

Advisor

Dr. Ahmed Hussein Esa is the Founder and President of Abaarso Tech University in Hargeisa, Somaliland. Dr. Esa is a formerAssistant Professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where he received his PhD and was honored with Frederik Bang Award for Excellence in Research. 
Between 1992 and 1996, he was the head of Flow Cytometry at the Immunology Department, Institute Pasteur in Paris. In 1992 Dr.Esa co-founded with Jocab Natvig, the former President of the Royal Hospital of Norway, the African Federation of Immunological Societies. From 1992 to 2001, he was a member of International Advisory Board of the Arms Division of Human Rights Watch in New York, and between 2001 and 2003, Dr. Esa was a member of the Board of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. In April 2015, he was selected as Founding Member of the Somaliland National Academy of Science and Arts, an academy created to provide evidence-based advisory to the government. At SomLite he advises on strategic partnerships and government relations.

Johnny Weiss

Technology Advisor

Johnny advises SomLite on identifying solar technologies that match customers’ needs as their energy need grows. Throughout his career, he has been on the leading edge of solar energy education and training: 
developing, teaching, and managing renewable energy training programs focused on the practical uses of solar thermal and photovoltaics. He is currently an independent consultant working internationally from Colorado on special solar projects. Johnny Co-Founded Solar Energy International (SEI) in 1991. He was the Executive Director and led SEI for over 20 years, helping establish SEI as a leader in solar education that has now trained over 55,000 students. Solar Energy International is a world-class center training for the solar industry.