| Said Abdullahi Deni | |
| Office1: | 6th President of Puntland |
| Predecessor1: | Abdiweli Gaas |
| Term Start1: | 8 January 2019 |
| Office2: | Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (Somalia) |
| Predecessor2: | Mohamud Hassan Suleiman |
| President2: | Hassan Sheikh Mohamud |
| Term Start2: | 17 January 2014 |
| Term End2: | 22 February 2017 |
| Birth Place: | Mogadishu, Somalia |
| Alma Mater: | Somali National University |
| Party: | Kaah |
| Nickname: | "Deni" |
| Vicepresident1: | Ahmed Elmi Osman Ilyas Osman Lugator |
| Occupation: | Businessman President Politician |
Said Abdullahi Deni (; born 1966 or 1967,[1] also known as Said Deni,[2] [3] is the current president of Puntland. He was first elected in January 8, 2019. Five years later February 8, 2024 he was reelected[4] [5]
Said was born in Mogadishu, Somalia. His family hails from the Darod (clan). Previously, he served as the minister of planning of Somalia, after having been appointed to the position on 17 January 2014 by the prime minister, Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed.[6] He was also a presidential candidate in the 2017 and 2022 elections for the Somali presidency. Since 2020, he represents the Kaah political association.
In March 2014, Mohamed and a Somali government delegation including President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdirahman Duale Beyle and Minister of Public Works and Reconstruction Nadifo Mohamed Osman made a four-day visit to Tokyo, where they met with Ambassador Tatsushi Terada and other senior Japanese government officials. President Mohamud and his delegation also conferred with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss strengthening bilateral relations, as well as capacity training for Somali livestock and agricultural development professionals.[7] The visit concluded with an announcement by Japanese Prime Minister Abe that his administration would put forth a $40 million funding package for the rehabilitation of Somalia's police forces, relief services, and job creation opportunities. Mohamud commended the Japanese government for intensifying its bilateral support, and suggested that the development initiatives would be centered on vocational training for youth and women, maritime and fisheries training, fisheries and agricultural infrastructure development, and communication and information technology support.[8]
In September 2014, the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation published a preliminary population census for Somalia. It is the first such governmental initiative in over two decades. The UNFPA assisted the Ministry in the project, which is slated to be finalized ahead of the planned plebiscite and local and national elections in 2016. According to Minister of Planning Said Deni and Deputy Prime Minister Ridwan Hirsi Mohamed, the census will facilitate the implementation of Vision 2016 and general development projects in the country. The Ministry of Planning also indicated that the preliminary census data suggests that there are around 12,360,000 residents in the nation, and that it plans to conduct a census of Somali expatriates.[9]
Puntland parliament has elected a new president on January 8, 2019 in a hotly contested presidential election.[10]
Former Federal Minister for Planning and International Cooperation Said Abdullahi Deni and Mr. Ahmed Elmi Karash were elected as President and Vice-President of Puntland, respectively, on Tuesday.[11]
Deni won 35 out of 66 votes from regional lawmakers in the third, and last round, defeating 20 other candidates. His closest challenger, General Asad Osman Abdullahi, former Puntland spy chief, received 31 votes.
The new president, 52, is widely known for his role in education in Puntland where he helped establish schools and universities. In 2017 he mounted an unsuccessful run for president of Somalia.
Deni campaigned on promoting economic growth and fighting corruption in the relatively peaceful Somali region.
“A new chapter has opened for this region, a chapter of unity and brotherly relations among Somalis,” the new president said.
Puntland's outgoing president, Abdiwali Mohamed Ali, lost in the first round of the election with only eight votes.[12]
On January 8, 2024, Said Abdullahi Deni was re-elected as President of Puntland. He was voted in by 45 out of the 66 members of Parliament. Said Abdullahi Deni becomes the first president in Somalia to be re-elected in Somalia's nascent 64 year history.