Facebook Twitter (X) Instagram Somali Magazine - People's Magazine
MOGADISHU, SOMALIA
Abdirahman Hussein Mohamed, CEO and co-founder of Wara Fragrance, has been honored with the Outstanding Excellence in Business award at the SOBA Awards 2026, one of the Somali business community’s most closely watched annual recognitions. The individual honor comes in the same year Wara Fragrance itself was named Business of the Year 2026 at the same ceremony, giving the brand and its founder a rare double recognition on the same stage.
Founded in 2023, Wara Fragrance has grown into one of East Africa’s most recognized perfume brands in just three years. The company is certified to ISO 9001 and Good Manufacturing Practice standards, issues Safety Data Sheets for its fragrances, and runs its products through third-party quality control before they reach shelves. Wara’s products are now sold through more than 1,000 outlets across four East African countries, and the brand is registered in Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia.
The brand has built a consistent track record on the awards circuit. Wara previously won Best Perfume Brand of the Year at the SOBA Awards 2025, then repeated the win at the East Africa Somali Awards in April 2026, where its signature scent, Moon Beam, was separately named Best Scent of the Year. At the 2026 SOBA Awards, Wara added Business of the Year 2026 to its case, with Mohamed personally recognized for Outstanding Excellence in Business the same night.
A Name Chosen for Longevity
The name Wara was coined by Mohamed’s elder brother and business partner, Anas Hussein Mohamed, who serves as the company’s Chairman and chose the word to reflect “long-lasting” — a nod to the brand’s ambitions for scent longevity as well as staying power in the market.
“We don’t simply create cosmetics and fragrances; we create identities, experiences, and brands designed to outlive their founders,” Mohamed said.
From Bakara Market to the Boardroom
Mohamed’s path to founding Wara Fragrance began well before the company’s launch. Born in February 1997 in Ethiopia, he spent three years as a teenage
mathematics and physics teacher before working as a teenager in Mogadishu’s Bakara Market, first for the construction materials company Qoobey and later for the electronics brand Sumec, rising to manage the largest branch at each.
He later opened his own retail shop in Mogadishu’s Wardhigley district before co-founding Sarah Cosmetics in 2019, which grew into a retail chain operating in Somalia and Kenya.
Wara Fragrance followed in 2023, built on the retail and market knowledge he had accumulated over the preceding decade. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Somalia (UNISO) and is completing an MBA at Open University Malaysia.
A Growing Group of Companies
Wara Fragrance sits within a wider group of businesses Mohamed has co-founded alongside Anas, including Haajar General, KAAT Cosmetics, and Juusto Media, a Somalia-based advertising agency. Across the group, the companies now employ more than 200 people. Even so, Wara remains Mohamed’s most closely identified venture, and the one he most often points to when describing his philosophy on building brands meant to last.
Wara has continued investing in the infrastructure behind its growth, from its ISO and GMP certifications to its four-country distribution footprint, and has signaled plans to open a factory in Somalia in 2027. With the Outstanding Excellence in Business award, Mohamed adds a personal honor to Wara Fragrance’s own growing trophy case, as the brand continues its expansion across East African markets.