She has held a number of senior policy-making posts in governmental, non-governmental and international institutions, including as Vice Minister of Health of Somalia.
She was also a founding member of the Somali Women's Democratic Organization (SWDO), serving as the group's Acting Chairperson and Vice President.
Raqiya also holds a master's degree in Public Policy and Women in Development from the Institute of Social Studies which is part of Erasmus University Rotterdam based in The Hague, Netherlands.
[1][3] Among other initiatives, the SWDO was mandated with implementing the ruling Supreme Revolutionary Council's law prohibiting female genital mutilation.
[6] She was concurrently elected as Somalia's representative to the conference's five-person Sub-Committee, which was tasked with formulating resolutions and recommendations on FGM.