Locations‘Somali National ID system has become a cornerstone of state-building’
November 24, 2025
Your Excellency the Prime Minister, Honourable Ministers, distinguished representatives from FMS, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning!
It is an honour to join you at the Second Somalia National Identity Conference, “From Identity to Impact: Building Somalia’s Digital Ecosystem.” On behalf of the UN family, I commend the National Identification and Registration Authority, the Ministry of Interior for convening this important event and welcome the strong engagement of all stakeholders here today.
Since its launch in 2023, the Somali National ID system has become a cornerstone of state-building, enabling trusted identity, strengthening the social contract, and expanding access to essential services.
We must commend the leadership of the Federal Government in establishing a legal digital ID system, because it is instrumental in affirming citizenship, and enabling services grounded in transparency and state legitimacy. A legal digital ID system is not simply a technical innovation; it is foundational to good governance, financial inclusion, access to rights and entitlements.
Today’s conference comes at a decisive moment as Somalia moves from establishing the system to scaling up its adoption and use across government, finance, humanitarian programming, and social protection.
We are encouraged by the progress to date: over one million registrations, nearly half of them women (47% female); rapid integration with public and private systems; and enrolment reaching displaced communities and Somali citizens abroad.
This digital ecosystem, built through national leadership and broad partnership, is already delivering greater inclusion, improved accountability, and cost savings for institutions.
The legal digital ID is aligned with the National Transformation Plan and the achievement of a number of SDGs. Especially SDG Target 16.9, to ensure legal identity for all by 2030. It also aligns fully with the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework.
Excellencies, Across the world, digital identity is increasingly recognized as a critical enabler for inclusive development. Several African nations, including Malawi, Kenya, Ghana, and Rwanda, have leveraged digital ID systems to expand access to social services, streamline welfare delivery, and improve governance transparency.
Globally, best practices highlight the importance of privacy, interoperability, and user-centric design, ensuring that digital identity systems not only provide legal recognition but also empower citizens to participate fully in economic, social, and political life. For Somalia, these lessons offer a pathway to integrate national ID initiatives with development programs while fostering trust and inclusion.
This is heartening to note that the South-South cooperation has been a powerful force multiplier in this journey. The partnership with Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), Malawi’s National Registration Bureau (NRB), learning from Ethiopia’s experience, and insights from other African countries through ID4Africa have demonstrated the value of sourcing solutions from contexts facing similar realities.
Leveraging proven expertise from fellow developing countries will further enable faster implementation, help avoid common pitfalls, and ensure culturally relevant, context-appropriate technical solutions.
The UN family remains fully committed to supporting the Federal Government of Somalia, Federal Member States, in synergy with other development partners as we advance the rollout and scale-up to ensure the system remains inclusive, secure, interoperable, and sustainable.
We commend the Government of Somalia, acknowledge the contributions of partners including the World Bank, UNDP and the UN family. I take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to our International Partners for their invaluable support to the State-building and Reconciliation Support Programme (SRSP), particularly Switzerland, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands through the Somalia Joint Fund and Denmark and South Korea through UNDP Funding windows.
As we begin this two-day conference, I wish all participants a productive and enriching exchange of ideas, and I hope the discussions here will inspire stronger collaboration and innovative solutions for Somalia’s digital future and drive social and economic transformation for all its people.
MaHadsanidiin. Thank you.
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These remarks were delivered by Lionel Laurens, Resident Representative, UNDP Somalia, at the 2nd Somali National ID Conference (SNIDC) organized by NIRA on 24-25 November 2025 under the theme “From Identity to Impact: Building Somalia’s Digital Ecosystem.” UNDP is a proud parter alongside the World Bank in Somalia’s national ID initiative.