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__** Sharif Ahmed **__ __** Somalia **__ 1. __Geography__
 * We are located along the eastern coast of Africa comparatively it is slightly smaller than Texas.
 * My country is mostly desert with moderate temperatures in the northern areas of the country and hotter temperatures in the southern parts of the country. It is a mostly flat country with some plateaus and hills in the north.
 * We have lots of untouched reservoirs of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt, natural gas and oil reserves. We also have uranium.

2. __ Economy __
 * Although our economy is informal it is relatively healthy.
 * Our economy is mostly depended on livestock, money transfer companies, and telecommunications.
 * Our telecommunications firm offers the lowest international call rates on the continent.
 * We don't produce or consume a lot of electricity which is good for the planet. =)

3. __ Social Structure __
 * There are 9,832,017 people in Somalia
 * 45% of these people are between the ages of 0-14
 * 52.6% of these people are between the ages of 15-64
 * Not very many people are over the age of 65
 * Only 0.5% of the people living in Somalia have HIV or AIDS

__ Background Information: __ I live a simple life with my wife and two children. I do not live lavishly while my country is in turmoil. I was a geography teacher in a high school. Later I became elected as a Chairman for the Joint Islamic Courts after campaigning for Islamic Courts in the capital, after a 12 year-old boy was kidnapped from his school. I wanted to stand up against armed thugs in the area.

__ Positions: __ It is not by any fault of mine that the country is in the state that it is today. It was already like this when I became president. The country is being destroyed by extremists who will stop at nothing to make sure that Somalia continues to suffer through this turmoil. Most Somalians are honest good people in desperate need of help - which is what I am trying to give them. I am trying to restore peace and security to my country.

__ References: __ Jakaya Kikwete - President of Tanzania He also believes that the international community needs to help in bringing peace to Somalia. Jean Ping - Gabonese Diplomat He believes that I represent hope for Somalia. Ban Ki-moon - Secretary-General of the United Nations He was extremely please when I was elected President and claimed that he "counts on my wise and visionary leadership to progress towards a peaceful settlement in Somalia."

I measure very well up against the four benchmarks set by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.

The first benchmark is Safety and Rule of Law. Even though Somalia is under complete anarchy, has been undergoing a civil war for the past 19 years, is known as one of the most dangerous countries in the world, and has a lot of terrorists and pirates, I still believe I measure up to this benchmark. None of this is my fault All of this started long before I ever became president. I have been working towards eliminating all of this turmoil. Some people even believe that I represent hope for Somalia. I am working towards peace and security in Somalia. We are definitely not there yet - but someday we will be.

When I heard that a 12 year-old boy was kidnapped from his school by gunmen I immediately began to stand up to armed thugs in the area and campaign for Islamic Courts in the Capital. Which is one of the reasons why I believe I measure up to the Mo Ibrahim Foundation's Second Benchmark of Participation and Human Rights.

I believe that I measure up to the third benchmark of substantial economic opportunity. I believe this because although my country is in turmoil our economy is fairly healthy. We are mostly dependent on livestock. At the state of our country it is pretty much a miracle that our countries economy is as good as it is.

The fourth and final benchmark set by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation is human development. The UNDP in Somalia has many programs that work towards human development. Programs for things such as AIDS, gender equality, sustainable livelihoods, rule of law and security, and governance.

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"Somali President Sheik Sharif Ahmed - TIME." //Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com//. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. .

" Somalia is not a failed state | Sharif Ahmed | Comment is free | The Guardian ." //Latest news, comment and reviews from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk//. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. . "Biography for Sheikh Sharif Ahmed - Silobreaker Sverige ." //VÃ¤lkommen - Silobreaker Sverige//. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. . "New Somali leader feted in capital of former enemy | Reuters ." //Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com//. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. . "Profile: Sharif Ahmed - Africa - Al Jazeera English ." //AJE - Al Jazeera English//. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. .