Mohamed is one of the prominent youth figures in civil society in Libya. He is a co-founder of the Dialogue & Debate Association (DDA) in March 2014 and has been working as a full-time Chief Executive Director at DDA since the beginning of 2018. In 2023, he was awarded the “40 Under 40” award for young influencers.
Academically, Mohamed obtained a Bachelor’s degree with honors in Project Management from the Civil Engineering Department at Misrata University in 2015. He then pursued a Master’s degree in International Relations, graduating with distinction from the University of Birmingham in 2020 as a Chevening Scholar.
In the civil sphere, Mohamed is known for his student activism. He was elected as the President of the Engineering College Student Union at Misrata University in 2014. He subsequently co-founded the Dialogue & Debate Association and has been serving as its Executive Director since the start of 2018. Under his leadership in 2019, the DDA won the “Debate Pioneers” awarded by “Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani” the CEO of Qatar Foundation as the best Arabic-language debate institution in the world.
Mohamed is also involved in promoting democracy and political empowerment for youth through his leadership in the Youth Dialogue Forum since late 2020. He advocates for the Vision of Libya 2035. Internationally, Mohamed has participated in various conferences related to youth, peace, and governance in Tunisia, Oman, London, The Hague, Oslo, New York, and others.
In terms of government work, Mohamed Abu Snaina serves part-time as an International Relations Officer for the Mayor of Misrata. He previously worked as a Communication and International Relations Officer for the Minister of Interior in the Government of National Accord. In this role, he was responsible for the minister’s relationship with international media and stakeholders, as well as leading the minister’s public diplomacy efforts. Additionally, Mohamed provides independent work and consultancy to government entities and research centers in the field of peace studies and diplomatic relations.
At the Dialogue & Debate Association, Mohamed manages a team of approximately 10 staff members and oversees around 150 volunteers from the association’s members. He translates the organization’s vision and goals set by the Board of Directors into plans and projects. He leads the communication process with stakeholders, presents project concept notes, develops proposals and budgets, and later leads their implementation. Mohamed has managed several projects during his work, with the most notable being the Schools Debates project.
