Somali-American to join as a senior advisor in the U.S. State Department

Warfa will join the U.S State Department as a senior advisor in Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights. 

News Keydmedia Online
11 January 2022

WASHINGTON, USA - Hamse Warfa, a high-ranking Somali-American official in Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, will be joining the Biden administration as a senior advisor to the State Department at the end of the month, making him the highest-ranking Somali presidential appointee in Washington.

The former Somali refugee once worked at the state Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) as its deputy commissioner. During his tenure, he advocated for jobs bill in order to ease the economic woes brought about by the pandemic.

According to DEED, Warfa introduced a speedier and more inclusive grant-making procedure during his time as deputy commissioner and fought for a jobs bill during the epidemic that provided more adult employment training.

According to Warfa's LinkedIn page, he volunteered as an economic policy committee member for Biden's 2020 presidential campaign.

Hamse first came to the United States as a Somali refugee when he was a teenager in 1994. He studied political science and organizational management, and built a career in both the public and private sector. 

Before joining DEED, Warfa co-founded BanQu, Inc., a firm dedicated to providing credit and banking services to low-income individuals throughout the world. He was also a Bush Fellow in 2016.

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