Somalia ties up with Sobha Renaissance for e-passports

The Somali government, as a part of its plan to boost its secutiry and streamline its immigration process, has signed a $25 million contract with Sobha Renaissance Information Technology (SRIT), an Indian IT solution provider.

The company was short-listed from among 15 global companies by the Somali government, Sobha executives told reporters here on Thursday.

The company will help the government implement and deploy a National Passport solution. It will also help it in executing the national ID programmes, automation of driver licenses, vehicle registration and national health programmes. The project will start by September this year and will be executed in six months, the executives said.

The Somali government will issue e-passports and start the process of e-authentication through fingerprints.

"The electronic identification is highest level of security that can be provided and this will also fasten the immiration process," said Madhu Nambiar, CEO, Sobha Renaissance. This comes at a period when governments across the globe are confronting a rise in forged or altered identity documents.

The deputy minister of foreign affairs, Transitional Federal Government of Somalia Hasan Ahmed Jama said that the topmost priority of his government is national security and e-governance program will help in that cause.

"The strategic mandate is to automate the entire process of authentication of an individual's identity and verify permission," he added.

Somalia is among the first developing countries to take up this programme.

The e-passport and e-authentication programme, at present, is used in 46 countries across the globe, most in European countries. India is yet to take up this programme.