Yussuf was born and raised in Zanzibar. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) with Education in English and Swahili from the State University of Zanzibar (SUZA). He earned an MA in African Studies and a PhD in Linguistics from SOAS, University of London.
As a Swahili native speaker, Yussuf has acquired considerable teaching expertise across Primary, Secondary, and Higher Education environments in Africa, the USA, and the United Kingdom.. He is also an accomplished writer of Swahili literature, including short stories. Notably, his recent short story titled “Mzimu wa Kipwerere’ (The Shrine of Kipwerere)” is featured in the anthology "Mapambazuko ya Machweo," which serves as a set book in Kenyan Secondary schools.
Yussuf has contributed his expertise to various academic institutions, having taught at the State University of Zanzibar (SUZA), Stanford University, USA, as a Fulbright Teaching Assistant (FLTA), and SOAS University of London. Currently, he serves as a CULP Swahili Teaching Associate at the University of Cambridge Language Centr
