A high-level Somali delegation has concluded a 10-day peer learning mission to Pakistan aimed at exploring ways to strengthen Somalia’s digital public ecosystem and improve digital public services.

The delegation was led by Abdiwali Ali Abdulle, Director General of Somalia’s National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), and included senior representatives from NIRA, the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank of Somalia and other financial and development institutions.

The mission was jointly organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) country offices in Pakistan and Somalia. During the visit, Somali officials held meetings with Pakistani institutions involved in digital identity, digital government, social protection, taxation, digital payments and citizen services.

The delegation visited the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to learn about Pakistan’s national identity system and its institutional framework. It also held discussions with the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication and other digital institutions on digital public infrastructure, interoperability and the development of a national data exchange layer.

In Lahore, the delegation visited an e-Khidmat Centre to observe how multiple government services are provided to citizens through an integrated digital platform.

Officials also visited the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), where they reviewed Pakistan’s National Socio-Economic Registry and digital social protection payment mechanisms. Discussions with the Federal Board of Revenue focused on the use of digital identity and data integration for taxpayer registration.

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The State Bank of Pakistan briefed the delegation on Raast, Pakistan’s instant payment system, as well as the banking sector’s shared electronic know-your-customer (e-KYC) platform. A session with civil society organizations also focused on reaching women, displaced populations and communities facing barriers to registration.

The mission concluded with the Somalia-Pakistan Technical Cooperation Roundtable, attended by Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani as the chief guest. The meeting brought together senior representatives of participating institutions to discuss lessons learned, partnership priorities and future areas of technical cooperation.

“Digital governance is an important instrument for improving public service delivery, institutional efficiency, accountability and citizen inclusion,” Gilani said. He added that parliament had an important role in ensuring that digital transformation remained inclusive, secure, accountable and rights-based, highlighting the Senate of Pakistan’s move towards a paperless e-Parliament.

Abdiwali Ali Abdulle said the mission provided Somalia with an opportunity to learn from Pakistan’s experience and identify practices that could be adapted to the Somali context.

He said Pakistan had valuable experience in digital identity, digital finance, social protection and interoperability, while Somalia’s experience with mobile money and rapid digital adoption could also provide lessons for Pakistan.

The participants also validated the Somalia-Pakistan Partnership Action Matrix, outlining areas for continued cooperation in foundational and legal identity, digital public infrastructure and governance, interoperability, secure data exchange, financial inclusion and digital public financing.

Jama Hassan, Counsellor at the Embassy of Somalia, said the programme provided valuable insight into Pakistan’s functional identity and wider e-governance systems.

“Functional identity is not synonymous with number or databases,” he said, highlighting the importance of linking identity systems with access to public services.

Dr. Samuel Rizk, Resident Representative of UNDP Pakistan, said legal identity was fundamental to inclusive governance and helped people access services, social protection and financial opportunities.

He said UNDP’s partnership with NADRA in Pakistan had helped more than one million women obtain identity documents, adding that the Somalia mission was focused on sharing these lessons while promoting trust, inclusion and data protection alongside technological development.