Somaliland’s Dr. Edna Adan Ismail On Statehood, Healthcare

In this edition: Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari confirms he’s seeking a second term in office, ending months of speculation about his future after bouts of ill health. Also, Dr. Edna Adan Ismail, a former foreign minister of Somaliland, joins us in the studio to discuss statehood and healthcare. And we bring you a report from an ultramarathon in the Sahara.

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has confirmed that he’ll be running again in next year’s elections. The 75-year-old is hoping to get the backing of the ruling APC party to seek another term. Last year there were concerns about his fitness for office after he spent months out of the country being treated in London.

Also, we meet Dr. Edna Adan, a former foreign minister for the Republic of Somaliland, a former Somali first lady, and a renowned activist working to improve health care and education in her homeland. She has a particular focus on stopping female genital mutilation. We talk to the trained midwife and stateswoman about her country and her activism.

And our reporter brings us a story on three women participating in this year’s “Marathon des Sables”. The grueling ultramarathon spans 251 kilometers across the Sahara desert.

By Georja CALVIN-SMITH,, Yena LEE

Profile

Edna Adan is the director and founder of the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital in Hargeisa, Somalia, and a courageous activist and pioneer in the struggle to end female circumcision. Born in Hargeisa, Ismail was trained as a nurse in the United Kingdom and practiced as a midwife for many years.

From 1987 to 1991, she was the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Technical Officer for Mother and Child Health. Her main responsibilities centered on issues relating to harmful traditional practices which affect the health of women and children. Ismail was also the WHO representative in Djibouti between 1991 and 1997.

Additionally, Ismail has held many prestigious government posts, including foreign minister of the autonomous Somaliland region in northwest Somalia from 2003 until 2006. She is served as president of the Organization for Victims of Torture and president of the Somaliland Family Health Association, as well as a member of the Presidential Commission on Higher Education in Somaliland. Ismail was formerly married to Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal, a prominent political leader who headed the government in British Somaliland prior to the union of Somaliland and Somalia, and later served as prime minister of Somalia (1967–1969).

After Somaliland separated from Somalia, Mohamed Ibrahim Egal returned to become president of Somaliland (1993–2002). Currently, Ismail runs the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital, whose mission is to improve the health of Somali citizens.