ABDULLAHI HAJI ABDI was born on October 15, 1939, in Warder, Ethiopia's Somali region. After Quranic education and Ethiopian Air Force pilot training at Bishoftu, he launched his broadcasting career at Ethiopian radio in the early 1960s following journalism training in Germany. In 1969, he joined the BBC Somali Service as a pioneering voice during its most influential period. His distinguished career covered major events including the Ogaden War and Ethiopian-Somali conflicts, while conducting investigative research on khat's social impact across East Africa. Now retired in London, he authored a memoir "ABDULLAHI HAJI: MY LIFE THROUGH NEWS MEDIA" to preserve broadcasting history, cementing his legacy as the voice that connected Somali communities worldwide during unprecedented dispersal.
