Somalia
The collapse of Somalia's nationwide civil registration system, caused by decades of conflict, resulted in a significant lack of reliable legal identity and proof of civil status for its citizens. Consequently, the government was left with limited population data, hindering essential service delivery, social planning, and broader state-building efforts.
Why OpenCRVS
OpenCRVS was identified by the Somalia Civil Registration General Directorate as a key enabler because it is a configurable, open-source digital public good.
This characteristic was crucial because it allowed the design of a system that aligned with Somalia's evolving legal and institutional framework, thereby avoiding vendor lock-in associated with proprietary solutions.
OpenCRVS provided crucial support for a digital-first strategy, which was timely for a country focused on establishing new processes rather than merely digitizing existing, entrenched legacy systems.
Proof of concept & early insights
A Proof of Concept (PoC) presented in November 2023 demonstrated the feasibility of digitally operationalizing civil registration workflows in Somalia.
The PoC validated core assumptions around usability, decentralised operations, and feasibility in low-infrastructure environments.
It also highlighted the importance of starting with a limited number of high-value use cases to build confidence and institutional buy-in.
Initial focus and implementation approach
Somalia's phased methodology began with birth and death registration. The second phase added new vital events, using co-creation workshops to define roles, map practices, and agree on a service model.
Crucially, early implementation prioritised residence registration, providing citizens with official proof of address and improving population visibility for government planning.
This strategy allowed Somalia to strengthen legal frameworks, build institutional capacity, and gradually incorporate events like marriage, divorce, and household registration.
Some numbers since OpenCRVS implementation:
completed birth registrations
deployed districts
hospitals linked to the system
What started as a proof-of-concept is now Somalia’s production-level Unified Digital Civil Registration System (CRVS).
OpenCRVS operates in 30 Somali districts and integrates with 160 hospitals to capture vital events, like births, at the point of occurrence — a global CRVS best practice.
The system has already facilitated the registration of over 28,000 births, successfully recording new citizens and establishing their legal identity.
This collaboration demonstrates how a digital public good like OpenCRVS accelerates state capability in fragile contexts, enabling governments to adopt modern, interoperable, and citizen-centred CRVS.
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