He began his career nearly a decade ago covering business and technology for the Daily Nation, and went on to write about the Horn of Africa region for various news outlets, including Africa Review, The East African, United Press International and Al Jazeera English.
Abdi is joining New York Times from Quartz Africa, where he has served as East Africa reporter for the past three years.
“We are excited to announce our first new correspondent: Abdi Latif Dahir is joining The Times in Nairobi from Quartz Africa, where he has served for three years as East Africa reporter” the publication stated in a statement.
The New York Times noted that Abdi had covered China’s deepening reach into Africa, the political transitions in Ethiopia and Sudan, and the intersection of technology and geopolitics.
He has also written about how companies and innovators are shaping industries, from agriculture to art. In between, he’s brought readers insightful stories about African culture, literature and food.
Besides his work in East Africa, Abdi has reported from Egypt and Nigeria, covered the United Nations General Assembly and written from Minnesota about the surge of the Somali political class there during the 2018 midterm elections in the United States.
He was born in Nairobi and grew up partly in Mogadishu, the Somalia capital. He has written about his love for Somalia and the pain of losing loved ones there in violent attacks by extremists.
He takes up his new assignment starting November.