NIRA Wins 2026 National Quality Award for Public Services

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has won the 2026 National Quality Award in the public service institutions category, recognising its work as Somalia advances efforts to establish a unified national identification system.

The award was presented following a competition organised by the Somali National Quality Control Authority, which recognises performance among government institutions.

NIRA’s deputy director general thanked the authority for the recognition and pledged to continue improving the quality of services offered to the public.

The recognition comes as the federal government works to expand national identity registration, a key component of efforts to modernise public administration and make government services more accessible.

A reliable identification system can help the government verify citizens’ identities, improve the accuracy of public records and support the delivery of services across government institutions.

NIRA has also been pursuing closer integration with other public service systems, including efforts to link national identification services with the government’s unified public service delivery centre, HALMEEL.

The initiative is intended to make it easier for citizens to access multiple services through connected government systems.

A functioning national identification system can also support more reliable civil registration, planning and the administration of public programmes. Its effectiveness, however, depends on broad registration coverage, secure handling of personal data and the ability of institutions to use identification services reliably.