Somalia mandates use of biometric ID for govt, private sector services

Somalia’s Prime Minister, Hamza Abdi Barre, has directed that all government and private sector service providers begin to mandatorily integrate the national biometric ID card for verification and authentication.

The PM made the call while chairing a high-level meeting on April 7 which was aimed at reviewing the implementation of the national identification program, and finetuning strategies ahead of a mass citizen enrollment campaign.

According to an announcement from the National Identification and Registration Authority of Somalia (NIRA), the PM’s call is in line with the country’s National Transformation Plan which emphasizes the critical importance of digitizing and modernizing public service delivery.

He also reiterated the government’s commitment to registering all citizens for the national ID and protecting their personal data in conformity with existing laws and regulatory frameworks.

Barre said details of the national ID card adoption strategy will be unveiled soon.

Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation Minister, Ali Yusuf Ali, who attended the meeting, explained the necessity of integrating the national ID with various services across the board, adding that the national ID is an important tool that will contribute substantially to the growth and development of the conflict-battered country.

A presentation from NIRA Director General, Abdiweli Ali Abdulle, outlined the features and uses of the national ID, highlighting the potential of the identity system in streamlining administrative and governance operations. He added that the ID brings some level of trust, security and convenience to the way citizens access services from government and private sector institutions and businesses. The NIRA boss also praised the support which the ID authority has had from government institutions and even external partners.

The Somalia national ID project has massive support from Pakistan’s NADRA, which recently held a working session with NIRA officials on ways of tackling challenges and advancing progress on the rollout of ID cards. Official printing of the ID cards was launched in January.

The call from the PM comes at a time when NIRA also organized an event in the capital Mogadishu to pep up staff who’ll take part in an upcoming nationwide ID registration exercise.

NIRA director general expressed gratitude to the staff for their sacrifice and dedication, calling them the “backbone” of the national ID initiative, according to a blog post.

“Your perseverance, professionalism, and commitment to the establishment and development of the modern National Identification System will serve future generations. On behalf of NIRA and the Federal Government of Somalia, I thank you for the great work you have done,” Abdulle told NIRA staff, before reiterating the vision of the ID authority which is to ensure the putting in place of a reliable, secure, and inclusive national identification system that ensures every Somali citizen has access to legal identity.

Also speaking, the deputy Director General of NIRA, Abdirahman Said Ahmed, also encouraged staff to be ready for the imminent nationwide registration campaign which is to ensure that ID cards are issued to every citizen.

“We are not just conducting registrations; we are laying the foundation for digital infrastructure that will underpin Somalia’s future development. Therefore, let us constantly strive to serve the Somali people efficiently, fairly, and in line with our institutional values,” the official appealed.

Somalia is getting its national ID system back to life after a more than 30-year hiatus.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  identity management  |  national ID  |  NIRA Somalia  |  Somalia