A high-level multi-institutional delegation from Somalia has concluded a ten-day peer learning mission to Pakistan aimed at strengthening Somalia’s digital public ecosystem and identifying opportunities for technical cooperation.
Led by Abdiwali Ali Abdulle, Director General of Somalia’s National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), the delegation included representatives from NIRA, Somalia’s Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank of Somalia and other financial-sector and development institutions.
The mission was convened by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) country offices in Pakistan and Somalia and focused on practical lessons from Pakistan’s experience in digital identity, digital government, social protection, taxation, digital payments and citizen service delivery.
Learning From Pakistan’s Digital Identity and Registration System
One of the key components of the mission was a visit to Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).
The Somali delegation examined Pakistan’s national identity system and the institutional arrangements supporting digital identity and registration. Discussions also explored how identity infrastructure can serve as a foundation for access to public services, financial services and social protection.
The visit highlighted the broader role of functional identity systems in digital transformation and inclusive governance.
At the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, the delegation also discussed Pakistan’s digital public infrastructure, interoperability and the development of a national data exchange layer.
These areas are particularly relevant to Somalia as the country continues to develop systems capable of securely connecting government institutions and improving the delivery of digital public services.
Integrated Digital Government Services in Pakistan
The delegation visited an e-Khidmat Centre in Lahore to observe how multiple government services can be delivered to citizens through an integrated service platform.
The visit provided an opportunity to examine approaches to citizen service delivery and the potential benefits of bringing different public services together through coordinated digital platforms.
For Somalia, such experiences can provide practical insights into how digital government infrastructure can support more accessible and efficient interactions between citizens and public institutions.
Digital Social Protection and Financial Inclusion
The Somali delegation also visited the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), where participants reviewed Pakistan’s National Socio-Economic Registry and approaches to digital social protection payments.
The discussions examined how digital systems can support the identification of eligible beneficiaries and facilitate the delivery of social protection payments.
At Pakistan’s Federal Board of Revenue, the delegation explored how digital identity and data integration can support taxpayer registration and revenue administration.
Meanwhile, the State Bank of Pakistan presented the country’s Raast instant payment system, along with the banking sector’s shared electronic know-your-customer (e-KYC) platform.
These exchanges covered areas directly connected to Somalia’s priorities around financial inclusion, digital payments, identity verification and digital public financing.
Focus on Women and Underserved Communities
The mission also included engagement with local civil society organizations to examine approaches for reaching women, displaced populations and communities facing barriers to registration.
The discussions reinforced the importance of ensuring that digital transformation does not focus solely on technology and infrastructure but also addresses accessibility, inclusion and the needs of populations that may face difficulties obtaining identity documents or accessing digital services.
According to UNDP Pakistan Resident Representative Dr. Samuel Rizk, legal identity is an important foundation for inclusive governance and can help open access to services, social protection and finance.
Rizk also highlighted UNDP’s partnership with NADRA, through which more than one million women in Pakistan have secured identity documents.
Somalia and Pakistan Emphasize Mutual Learning
The mission concluded with the Somalia-Pakistan Technical Cooperation Roundtable, attended by Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan, as Chief Guest.
The roundtable brought together senior representatives from participating institutions to discuss lessons from the mission, partnership priorities and potential technical pathways for continued collaboration.
Gilani emphasized the role of digital governance in public service delivery, institutional efficiency, accountability and citizen inclusion. He also highlighted the importance of parliamentary participation in ensuring that digital transformation is inclusive, secure, accountable and rights-based.
The Senate of Pakistan, he noted, has itself been pursuing digital transformation through the concept of a paperless e-Parliament.
For Somalia, the mission was framed not simply as an opportunity to learn from Pakistan but as a partnership based on reciprocal experience.
“Pakistan has valuable experience in areas including digital identity, digital finance, social protection and interoperability, while Somalia’s experience with mobile money and rapid digital adoption offers important lessons for Pakistan,” said Abdiwali Ali Abdulle. “This is, therefore, a partnership among equals, grounded in mutual learning and shared experience.”
Partnership Action Matrix Sets Out Areas of Cooperation
A major outcome of the technical roundtable was the validation of the Somalia-Pakistan Partnership Action Matrix.
The framework identifies three broad areas for cooperation:
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Foundational and legal identity, including the development and strengthening of identity systems.
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Digital public infrastructure and governance, including interoperability and secure data exchange.
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Financial inclusion and digital public financing, covering digital payments, e-KYC, social protection disbursement and revenue administration.
The action matrix provides a framework for continued engagement between the two countries and participating institutions.
Functional Identity as a Foundation for Digital Governance
Jama Hassan, Counsellor at the Embassy of Somalia, said the programme provided valuable insight into Pakistan’s experience in developing an applied identity system and a wider digital ecosystem for public infrastructure.
He emphasized that functional identity goes beyond simply creating identification numbers or databases.
The broader lesson is that digital identity can serve as foundational infrastructure for inclusive governance, particularly when it is connected to public services, financial systems and social protection while maintaining appropriate safeguards for data protection.
UNDP Supports Somalia-Pakistan Digital Cooperation
The peer learning mission reflects a broader effort supported by UNDP Pakistan and UNDP Somalia to facilitate knowledge sharing and technical cooperation between institutions in the two countries.
The exchange covered multiple components of digital transformation, from national identification and secure data exchange to digital payments, social protection and revenue administration.
For Somalia, the experience provides an opportunity to consider which elements of Pakistan’s digital ecosystem may be adapted to the country’s own institutional and technological context.
At the same time, Somalia’s rapid adoption of mobile money and its experience with digital financial services provide areas of knowledge that can contribute to reciprocal learning.
What the Somalia-Pakistan Digital Partnership Could Mean
The ten-day mission demonstrates the interconnected nature of modern digital government. Digital identity, secure data exchange, financial services, social protection and citizen service delivery can operate as complementary components of a broader digital public ecosystem.
The Somalia-Pakistan Partnership Action Matrix provides a structured basis for continued cooperation across these areas.
As Somalia continues to develop its digital public infrastructure, lessons from Pakistan’s experience can inform discussions around identity, interoperability, financial inclusion and public service delivery. At the same time, Somalia’s own experience with mobile money and digital adoption adds an important dimension to the partnership.
The collaboration ultimately places digital governance, inclusion, data protection and institutional cooperation at the center of efforts to build more accessible and connected public systems.
