Prof. Dr. Yahya is an economist and development researcher interesting to join the University of Toronto as a Senior Research Affiliate. He brings over thirty years of experience in applied research, policy analysis, and academic leadership, with a strong focus on governance, public financial management, justice systems, political economy, and post-conflict recovery in fragile and conflict-affected settings, particularly in the Horn of Africa.

His professional experience spans senior research, advisory, and consultancy roles with international organizations and academic institutions, including the World Bank, United Nations agencies, the American Bar Association, DFID, and USAID-funded programs. His work has addressed critical issues such as revenue mobilization, justice reform, war economies, piracy, land governance, security, and institutional capacity-building, often combining rigorous field research with policy-oriented analysis.

Prof. Dr. Yahya has also held senior academic positions, including Dean and Lecturer at Mogadishu University, as well as visiting and external examining roles at universities in Europe, North America, and Asia. In the public sector, he has served as a Board Member of the Somali Central Bank and as Economic Advisor to the Office of the Prime Minister of Somalia, contributing to national-level policy formulation and institutional reform.

He holds a PhD in Economics and an MBA, and is fluent in Somali, English, Arabic, and Italian. His research interests align with interdisciplinary work on governance transformation, peace and conflict, environmental and climate governance, and the political economy of development,