Somalia eyes Tanzania’s e-governance model
DODOMA: TANZANIA’S public service reforms have drawn regional attention, with Somalia seeking to learn from the country’s experience in digital governance and citizen-centred service delivery.
The development emerged in Dodoma at the weekend when the Minister of State in the President’s Office (Public Service Management and Good Governance), Mr Ridhiwani Kikwete (pictured), received a Somali delegation led by the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr Hirsi Jama Ganni, for a three-day working visit.
The visit focuses on public sector reforms and government modernisation, offering the two countries a platform to exchange experience on civil service management, merit-based recruitment, accountability, leadership development and digital government.
Mr Ridhiwani said Tanzania had deliberately embarked on reforms to modernise the public service, align institutions with the demands of the digital age and improve service delivery to citizens.
“Our public service has undertaken reforms to modernise operations, strengthen governance and align structures with the digital world to better meet citizens’ needs,” he said.
He added that the engagement was timely as African countries continue to build institutions that are more responsive, transparent and accountable.
Tanzania’s progress has been driven by accelerated digitalisation of government operations and service delivery.
The government has rolled out systems to improve human resource management, recruitment, performance monitoring, information sharing and citizen feedback.
These include the Human Capital Information Management System (eWatumishi), Performance Management Information System (e-Utendaji), citizen feedback platform (eMeesha), Human Resource Assessment System and the Ajira Portal.
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The systems are increasingly integrated through the Government Enterprise Service Bus (GovESB), enhancing interoperability across institutions.
The reforms have also earned international recognition. Mr Ridhiwani said e-Mrejesho Version 1 won the United Nations Public Service Innovation Award in 2024, while Version 2 scooped the eGovernment category at the 2025 World Summit on the Information Society Awards.
He added that Tanzania was ranked in Group A of the World Bank’s GovTech Maturity Index 2025 placing it among countries with high GovTech maturity and among only five African nations in that category.
Speaking during the visit, Mr Ganni said Somalia was keen to strengthen cooperation with Tanzania as it advances its own public service reforms.
“We are implementing reforms in our public service and want to learn best practices in policy and the use of technology in service management,” he said.
