Suldaan Said Ahmed

Suldaan Said Ahmed (b. 12 February 1993) is a Finnish politician who is a member of the Helsinki City Council for the Left Alliance.^[1] Said Ahmed served as a Member of the Finnish Parliament for Helsinki from September 2021 to April 2023, and is the first Somalian-born member of the Finnish parliament.^[2][3] In July 2022, Said Ahmed was appointed Finland's Minister for Foreign Affairs' Special Representative on Peace Mediation in the Horn of Africa. Since April 2023, he has also been a member of the Peace Mediation Roster of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.^[4]

Suldaan Said Ahmed
Member of the Finnish Parliament for Helsinki
In office 9 September 2021 (2021-09-09) – 4 April 2023 (2023-04-04)
Personal details
Born	(1993-02-12) February 12, 1993 (age 31) Mogadishu, Somalia
Citizenship	Finnish
Political party	Left Alliance
Website	suldaan.fi

On 23 January 2024, Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen appointed Suldaan Said Ahmed as her Special Envoy on Peace Mediation in the Horn of Africa. https://um.fi/current-affairs/-/asset_publisher/gc654PySnjTX/content/suldaan-said-ahmed-ulkoministerin-rauhanvalityksen-erityisedustajaksi-afrikan-sarven-alueelle-1

Life and career

Said Ahmed was born in Mogadishu and immigrated to Finland in 2008 through family reunification. He lived in Kontiolahti, North Karelia, and moved to Helsinki in 2011.^[5] Said Ahmed has a security guard education and has also worked as a community worker for the Helsinki Deaconess Foundation.^[1]

Said Ahmed was elected to the Helsinki City Council in the 2017 municipal elections and re-elected in 2021. In the 2019 parliamentary election Said Ahmed became a vice deputy. As the MP Paavo Arhinmäki was selected the Helsinki Deputy Mayor, Said Ahmed took his place in September 2021.^[2] He was not reelected in the 2023 parliamentary election.

Family

Suldaan Said Ahmed is the brother of the footballers Ahmed Said Ahmed and Abdulkadir Said Ahmed.^[6]

References

1. "Suldaan Said Ahmed". Parliament of Finland. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
2. "Suldaan Said Ahmed becomes Finland's first Somali-born MP". Yle News. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
3. "Suldan Said Ahmed". www.eduskunta.fi. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
4. "Suldaan Said Ahmed appointed as Foreign Minister's special representative on peace mediation in the Horn of Africa". Finnish Government. 8 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
5. "Finland's first Somali-born MP sworn in". Yle News. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
6. Suomalainen, Tiina (1 November 2021). "Suldaan Said Ahmedin ykkösnainen on yksinhuoltajaäiti Ramla – kasvatti 11 lasta" (in Finnish). Anna. Retrieved 4 January 2022.