Somalia Opens ID Center at Pretoria Embassy for Diaspora. Pretoria, South Africa — Somalia’s National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has opened a dedicated counter inside the Somali Embassy to issue national identity cards to citizens living in southern Africa, according to official statements released Tuesday. Ambassador Mohamed Sheikh Isaq led the launch ceremony on the embassy grounds, joined by diplomatic staff.
In his remarks he instructed personnel to process applications with “transparency, efficiency and a citizen-first approach,” local reports.
The new desk replaces the previous arrangement that required Somalis in South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini and neighbouring states to apply for IDs only during intermittent mobile missions or return to Mogadishu. Embassy officials say the permanent facility will cut waiting times and travel costs.
Members of the diaspora who attended the inauguration welcomed the move, calling it a long — requested service that ties them closer to home.
“This finally gives us a practical way to keep our identity documents current without leaving our jobs and families,” one attendee told local media.
The government in Mogadishu views the rollout as part of a wider push to register all eligible Somalis, including the estimated two million living outside the Horn of Africa.
Authorities have not released a target date for completing diaspora enrolment, and no fee schedule was published. Officials say additional centres are planned for other countries with large Somali communities, though locations and timelines remain under discussion.
Further details are expected.
Source: sonna.
