Hiiraan Online
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Columbus, OH ( HOL) - The Glenn School of Public Affairs at the Ohio State University hosted an event welcoming H.E. Ahmed Abdisalan Adan, the current Somali Ambassador to Ethiopia and the Permanent Representative of Somalia to the African Union. Professor Trevor Brown, the director of the Glenn School of Public Affairs welcomed the Ambassador and introduced his long professional career as the Ambassador who once served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia in the previous Transitional Government. Professor Brown warmly welcomed the speaker, discussed the importance of the Horn of Africa in global affairs and presented an OSU award to the Ambassador before welcoming him to the podium.
Ambassador Aden came to Ohio to see firsthand the progress made by the Somali community of Columbus, the second largest Somali community in the United States. OSU faculty, students, Glenn school staff and members of the larger community attended the event highlighting the importance of the Horn of Africa nation in global affairs. The Title of Ambassador Aden’s speech was “African Solution for African Problems” addressing historical, current and future challenges facing the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somalia’s Federal Government.
After providing historical context on the role and crucial importance of the African Union, Ambassador Aden talked at length about how the Somali National Army is being rebuilt while at the same time executing successful operations inside the country against Al-Shabab, the extremist groups fighting against the government. The Ambassador underscored the successes that have been made over the past three years would not have been possible without the bravery of frontline Somali soldiers, AMISOM troops, IGAD, and the African Union.
The Ambassador acknowledged the financial challenges facing AU in supporting security operations throughout the continent, including Somalia, South Sudan, and Central African Republic. He alluded to the fact that “ongoing discussions within the AU continue to suggest the need for member states to financially contribute to ongoing and future security operations within the continent. He continued to say that “As Africans we want to solve our own problems, with our own means and solutions.