After the handover, it is understood Mr. Fender who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment while Ms. Foster will take up her post sometime in February 2021.
Ms. Foster has extensive experience in north Africa dating back to 2004, after she left the private sector to work for the UNHCR.
Most recently it is believed she attended a government Staff Course in preparation for her posting.
She will adopt her new position in a year to be marked by elections in Somalia and neighboring Somaliland, amidst a time of change in the Horn of Africa, not helped by the recent civil war in regional power house Ethiopia and increased Chinese interest in the region.
Ms. Foster’s full CV follows,
Currivulum vitae
Full name: Kate Foster
| Year | Role |
| 2018 to Present | Cabinet Office, Deputy Director, International Affairs, National Security Secretariat then UK Defence Academy Higher Command and Staff Course |
| 2017 | Department for International Development, Head, Africa Strategy |
| 2015 to 2017 | Department for International Development, Head, Africa Conflict and Humanitarian Unit then Head, Yemen |
| 2014 to 2015 | UK Ebola Response, Chief of Operations, Sierra Leone |
| 2012 to 2014 | Crown Agents, Deputy Director, Department for International Development Conflict & Humanitarian Operations Team |
| 2011 to 2012 | Save the Children, Programme Director, Emergency Response |
| 2008 to 2011 | International Rescue Committee then Save the Children, Programme Director South Sudan |
| 2006 to 2008 | International Rescue Committee, Governance Programme Co-ordinator |
| 2004 to 2005 | UNHCR/Right to Play, Head Refugee Youth Engagement, Sierra Leone and Liberia |
| 1999 to 2004 | Appointments in the Private Sector |
Source: gov.uk website.
This article first appeared in the Puntland Post and is republished with permission