Soo galCodso gelitaan

← Dhammaan warbixinnada

Connectivity, e-government and data centres in Somalia

Bulshadaa isu keentay · DIGITAL · 9 min read · 2026-09-28

Waxaa isu keenay wax-ku-biiriyayaal bulsho iyagoo ka duulaya ilo dadweyne. Tirooyinku waxay noqon karaan qiyaaso — si madax-bannaan u xaqiiji ka hor inta aadan ku tiirsan.

Tusmada
  1. Summary
  2. Where Xidig members may contribute
  3. Possible services, research, supplier or collaboration roles
  4. Who may find this useful
  5. Networks, users and e-government today
  6. Geographic context
  7. Dependencies and implementation constraints
  8. Risks and unknowns
  9. Questions members should verify before acting
  10. What is confirmed, and what isn't
  11. Relevant next steps
  12. More about the source
  13. Related reports
  14. About this report
  15. Sources

5G, submarine cables, online visas and digital ID are already here. What exists, where the skills gaps are, and the connectivity and e-government proposals on the government's list.

Not investment advice. Independent analysis of a government publication; not a tender or funding notice.

Summary

Somalia's digital infrastructure and online government services are already growing, and they need people who can build, secure and design them. For members, the roles are in network engineering, software and service design, cybersecurity and data protection, and digital skills.

What Xidig found:

  • Networks are expanding, unevenly. Two operators launched commercial 5G in 2024 and five submarine cable systems land in Somalia, but the domestic fibre backbone has been described as underdeveloped and fragmented. About 28% of people used the internet in 2024, on ITU estimates.
  • E-services are already live. An online visa system started in September 2025, and a national digital ID drive had more than one million people enrolled by December 2025, as reported.
  • Strategy and rules are in place. The government published an e-government strategy for 2025–2029, and the Data Protection Act 2023 created a Data Protection Authority that had begun enforcing registration of data controllers by June 2026. A national data centre was announced in 2023 and again in 2026; its current status is unclear.

The government has also proposed telecom expansion (US$225M) and e-government services with national data centres (US$65M), both at pre-feasibility stage; details are under More about the source.

Where Xidig members may contribute

These are skills and collaboration opportunities: plausible needs, not confirmed contracts or jobs.

  • Skills: radio and fibre network engineering, data-centre operations, cloud and systems administration, cybersecurity, software development, UX and service design in Somali and English.
  • Collaboration: open research on which government services are online and how well they work for users. Community digital-skills sessions.
  • Service: data-protection compliance support for organisations registering with the Data Protection Authority.

Possible services, research, supplier or collaboration roles

  • Usability testing of public e-services with real users, done with consent and privacy safeguards.
  • Somali-language content and interface work for government services.
  • Security reviews and training, where commissioned.
  • Documenting where fibre and 4G/5G coverage actually reach, since no official coverage map was found.

Who may find this useful

  • Telecom and IT professionals, including diaspora engineers.
  • Software developers and designers.
  • Public servants working on digital services.
  • Students in computing.
  • Small businesses that rely on mobile money and connectivity.

Networks, users and e-government today

Fur cabbirka buuxa

About 28% of people used the internet in 2024, on ITU estimates. The jump in 2020 reflects a change in how ITU estimates the figure.

Use and access.

  • Internet use: ITU data puts it at 27.94% of the population in 2024.
  • Mobile subscriptions: about 54 per 100 people in 2023. Subscriptions are not unique users.
  • User numbers: DataReportal, a secondary compiler of ITU and GSMA figures, estimates 5.47 million internet users at the end of 2025. On that estimate the government's "5 million" target (see More about the source) may already be met, which is why the target needs a stated baseline.
Fur cabbirka buuxa

Mobile subscriptions have levelled off at around half the population on reported figures.

Networks.

  • Submarine cables: the National Communications Authority (NCA) lists five systems (DARE1, PEACE, 2Africa, EASSy and G2A) and four landing stations. It gives a combined regional design capacity of 78.6 Tbps.
  • Domestic backbone: described in 2024 as "underdeveloped and fragmented". "The absence of a robust backbone network prevents the distribution of international capacity across the country" (Developing Telecoms).
  • Backbone finance: a 2017 World Bank Group study recommended "a public-private partnership (PPP) and joint investment programs" and estimated the cost at US$67–100M.
  • Regulation: the cabinet endorsed Submarine Cable Regulations in June 2025.
  • 5G: Somtel and Hormuud both launched 5G services in 2024; reports differ on which was first.
  • Licensing: the NCA's register lists nine licensed unified mobile and infrastructure providers. The NCA granted Starlink an operating licence in April 2025 (SONNA, 13 Apr 2025).

E-government already under way. The government proposal's "first e-government services" wording understates what exists:

  • eVisa: from 1 September 2025, visas are applied for online through the Immigration and Citizenship Agency's eVisa/ETAS system.
  • Digital ID: the National Identification and Registration Authority started registration with a pilot in two districts on 18 August 2025 and aims "to reach 15 million nationwide by the end of 2029". As of December 2025, Biometric Update reported more than one million enrolled and over 24 public services integrated. This is funded through World Bank projects (SCALED-UP and SPRING).
  • Strategy: the Ministry's eGovernment Strategy 2025–2029 sets a target for public bodies to put "all (100%) of their services" online. It also refers to "a proposed Somalia National Data Center (SNDC)".
  • Data centre: the NCA reported the start of construction of a national data centre in November 2023. In August 2026 a state minister again announced plans for one (Dawan Africa). Its current status is unclear.
  • Data protection: the Data Protection Act came into force on 23 March 2023 and created a Data Protection Authority. The Authority has begun enforcing registration of data controllers (TechAfrica News, June 2026).

Geographic context

Both proposals are national, so no map is included. Cable landings are at Mogadishu, Bosaso, Kismayo and Berbera (NCA). Rural coverage is the main gap the connectivity proposal targets, but the proposal gives no coverage baseline.

Dependencies and implementation constraints

  • Backbone and shared infrastructure need agreement among competing operators and the regulator.
  • Power supply and cost affect towers and data centres. See Why electricity costs so much in Somalia.
  • Legal framework: data protection, digital ID and cybersecurity rules shape how data centres and e-services can operate.
  • Finance: PPP is ticked on both sheets, but no partner or funding is named.

Risks and unknowns

  • Baselines: the "5 million users" and "10% coverage" targets have none (see More about the source).
  • Overlap: the proposal may overlap with World Bank-funded digital ID and e-government work and with the data centre announced in 2023. Whether these are the same project is not stated.

Questions members should verify before acting

  1. Which 84 services are meant (see More about the source), and which are already online?
  2. Is the national data centre in the government's proposal the one announced in 2023? What is its status?
  3. What coverage and user baseline is the connectivity target measured against?
  4. Is there a current tender? Check the Ministry of Communications and Technology, the NCA and the World Bank project pages.

What is confirmed, and what isn't

Confirmed

  • The two proposals, printed costs and status.
  • ITU usage data.
  • Submarine cable systems (NCA).
  • 5G launches in 2024.
  • eVisa from September 2025.
  • The digital ID programme and its targets.
  • The e-government strategy 2025–2029.
  • The Data Protection Act 2023.

Our interpretation

  • The proposals' wording understates existing digital government.
  • Skills in networks, software and data protection are the durable member roles.

Not yet verified

  • The list of 84 services.
  • The data centre's current status.
  • Official 4G/5G population coverage.
  • The proposals' cost basis.

Relevant next steps

  • Follow the Ministry of Communications and Technology and the NCA for official notices.
  • Developers and designers: review public e-services and share constructive, privacy-safe feedback through Xidig.

More about the source

The government's investment booklet, Bankable Projects 2026–2030 (MoPIED / SOMINVEST), is one of the sources for this report. The details it gives are summarised here as printed.

Improved Connectivity through Telecommunication Infrastructure Expansion (TC-01, pp.64–65).

  • What: "Expansion of telecommunication towers, aggressive rollout of 4G and 5G services, and deployment of terrestrial fiber cables across Somalia", "driving adoption to 5 million internet users within five years".
  • Key drivers: "Boosting 4G and 5G coverage in Somalia by at least 10%" and "Creating infrastructure-sharing opportunities through PPPs".
  • Existing infrastructure cited: "Current telecom providers operating in Somalia" and "Partial fibre backbone network".
  • Estimates: US$225M; 5 years; Greenfield, PPP.

Digitalising Somalia: E-Government Services & Data Center Infrastructure (TC-02, pp.66–67).

  • What: "Development of Somalia's first e-government services and establishment of state-of-the-art national data centers".
  • Aims: to "enhance the delivery of 84 essential government services, modernize public administration, ensure security of private data, and attract investment".
  • Estimates: US$65M; 4 years; Greenfield and Expansion, PPP.
Fur cabbirka buuxa

The two proposals cover infrastructure and services. The middle layer — devices, affordability and skills — is not addressed by either.

  • Primary source: MoPIED / SOMINVEST, Bankable Projects 2026–2030, posted 19 Nov 2025. Telecommunication section, PDF pp.64–67.
  • Promoters: SOMINVEST and the Ministry of Communications and Technology.
  • Status: pre-feasibility on both sheets.

About this report

By Xidig members and collaborators.

Project codes. Codes such as EN-04 or AG-05 are Xidig's own shorthand for the booklet's fact sheets, by sector; the booklet itself does not number its projects.

How we researched it. We read the full 97-page booklet and checked every figure, page reference and quotation used here against it. We then compared the booklet's claims with the official, international and news sources listed below, and we say where they differ. We did not interview anyone for this report. Where the booklet's figures are unclear, we reproduce them as printed and explain the issue in the notes.

Corrections. If you spot an error, please tell us using the correction link on this page.

Sources

Primary

Supporting