Somalian National ICT Policy and Strategy 2019-2024
December 2019
Strategies and Action Plans
Author: Ministry of Post, Telecommunications & Technology
Executive summary
This document sets out the 5-year 2019-2024 National ICT Policy and Strategy which provides the framework needed to leverage the benefits of ICTs to support the social and economic development of Somali society.
The goal of this Policy is to facilitate Somalia’s digital transformation to a knowledge-based and inclusive society, and to accelerate socio-economic development toward fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals. This ICT Policy and Strategy (the Policy) outlines priorities and areas of intervention to support the development of the ICT sector and to help meet overall socioeconomic development goals. The broad areas of focus over the five year period are:
1. Access – Cost of connectivity and coverage of networks
2. Domestic digital infrastructure – interconnection/IXPs, local hosting, domain names, quality of service, cyber security
3. Citizen / consumer protection – e-commerce, privacy, child protection
4. Human resource development – digital literacy, ICT skills, e-education, R&D
5. Content – local media online, applications and financial services,
6. e-Gov – Government interconnection and open data, public e-services (e-government, e-health, e-agriculture and e-education). In this respect the key overarching goals of the Policy are therefore:
- To develop the critical ICT ecosystem components needed to empower Somalia’s citizens with ICTs and to open up the potential for new business opportunities, thereby helping to achieve the socio-economic development goals of the National Development Plan (2017-19)
- To speed up Somalia’s use of ICTs to support increased economic and social activity, in banking and financial services, communications, health and education
- To achieve full mobile coverage and correct the significant disparities in access and affordability to ICT infrastructure and services both within and beyond the urban centres, in line with the Somali Infrastructure Strategic Plan (2019-2063). This would incude deployment of required ICT infrastructure in all the Regional States
In 2017, the Federal Republic of Somalia passed the National Communications Law which established the regulatory authority – the National Communications Agency (NCA) – defining its structure, decision-making procedures and the key areas of its responsibilities. The National Communications Law lays the basis for a competitive and enabling regulatory environment that recognises the need to ensure citizens have access to voice, broadband and postal communication services throughout the country.
The Policy provides the strategic framework for the National Communication Law and seeks to provide all stakeholders across all levels of government, private sector, civil society and the public with a clear roadmap to drive economic, social, cultural and political transformation through effective use of ICTs. ICTs have a critical role in enabling socio-economic development with positive impacts on job creation, delivery of health care, education and research, and civic participation. However, obtaining the maximum potential from these technologies requires comprehensive policies that take a multisectoral view of ICTs. For example, this includes the areas of education, health, finance, empowerment and social transformation, employment and social development.
The Policy therefore aims to address ICT infrastructure and other ecosystem gaps through the use of several policy instruments and actions that make use of supply side and demand side measures. It is expected that providing the required ICT platforms and integrated support will contribute to building a cohesive and economically independent society.
Summary of key policy focus areas:
1. Policy, legal, and regulatory framework
2. Public communication services – voice and broadband internet,
3. Universal access strategy (use of ICTs in underserved areas and by women, youth, the disabled and marginalised groups
4. Basic infrastructure in all Regional States – domestic and international backbones, radio spectrum, interconnection
5. Digital infrastructure – internet exchange points, cybersecurity, payments platforms
6. Consumer protection, privacy & child protection
7. Human resource development – education, training, innovation, research and development
8. Digital services and content – e-commerce, financial services, media, governance/public administration, health, education, agriculture
9. Postal services development