Mohamed Ali Nur

Ambassador Mohamed Ali Nur, popularly known as "Ambassador Americo", is the Director General of Mogadishu Port Authority. Previously, he was the Somali Ambassador to Kenya from October 2007 to April 2015.

In 2007, Nur played a key role in the reopening of the Somali Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, which had been closed for 17 years due to the outbreak of the Somali Civil War. He led the campaign that repossessed the prime embassy property in Nairobi that had been irregularly sold to private individuals in 1994 after the collapse of the Somalia government.

Nur emerged as a symbol of reconciliation in a war-torn Somalia in September 2014 when he unconditionally forgave a man who confessed to being part of a gang that killed his 18-month-old daughter in 1992. Since then, he has sought to use his story to promote reconciliation and peace in Somalia. He also supports education, health, water and environmental conservation initiatives in Somalia through Yasmin Foundation, a non-profit organization he established with his family in 2010, in memory of his late daughter.

Early life and education Nur was born on 12 October 1962 in Mogadishu, Somalia, where he spent his childhood. He is the eldest in a family of six siblings. His father, Ali Nur "Americo", worked as a foreman in a borehole-drilling company. Later, he ran a chain of restaurants and a rental car service in Mogadishu. He also had an interest in real estate. His mother was a housewife who died when he was 9 years old.

Nur received his primary and high school education in Mogadishu. He then proceeded to Montgomery College, Maryland, United States where he studied economics before enrolling at the University of Maryland to further this study. Nur cited as his other accomplishments increased trade and passenger flights between Somalia and Kenya.

Nur served as Somalia's envoy to Kenya until April 2015 before his successor, Gamal Osman, was appointed by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Reconciliation In September 2014, Nur emerged as a symbol of reconciliation in Somalia In September 2025, the World Bank and S&P Global Container Port Performance Index ranked Mogadishu Port 163rd globally and the most efficient port in East Africa, based on total time vessels spend in port. In November 2025, the port introduced 24-hour operations to reduce congestion and improve reliability for shipping and trade.