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AI regulation in Somalia: laws & policy (2026)

AI in Somalia: no framework.

As of May 2026 Somalia has no comprehensive AI law, no AI-specific in-force regulation, and no formally adopted national AI strategy. Governance efforts are at an early, institutional stage: the Somali National AI Center (SNAIC) leads research and adoption under the Ministry of Communications and Technology, a UNESCO ethics-readiness assessment is at inception, and a 2023 Data Protection Act provides adjacent personal-data rules. There is no proposed AI legislation before parliament.

Last verified Official sources first · MethodologyCompare Somalia with other countries

Legal framework

No AI-specific law, regulation, or published national AI strategy. Institutional activity sits with the Somali National AI Center (SNAIC) under the Ministry of Communications and Technology; the closest binding instrument is the data-adjacent Data Protection Act (Law No. 005 of 2023).

Key points: artificial intelligence in Somalia

  1. No dedicated AI legislation

    Somalia has not enacted or formally tabled any AI-specific statute or regulation, and no comprehensive national AI strategy document has been published; efforts remain at the institutional and assessment stage.

    aipolicyportal.org snaic.gov.so

  2. Somali National AI Center (SNAIC)

    SNAIC operates under the Ministry of Communications and Technology, leading AI research, education, and adoption (Somali NLP, agriculture, health, education). It is a promotional/coordination body, not a regulator, and issues no binding rules.

    snaic.gov.so moct.gov.so

  3. UNESCO ethics readiness at inception

    UNESCO is supporting an AI Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) report to inform an ethical AI governance framework using its 2021 Recommendation as a blueprint; Somalia's assessment is at the inception stage (vs. completed for Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Mauritius).

    unesco.org unesco.org

  4. Data Protection Act 2023 (adjacent)

    Law No. 005 of 2023, effective 23 March 2023, established the Somalia Data Protection Authority (launched Feb 2024) and governs personal-data processing, including automated/online monitoring, relevant to AI but not AI-specific.

    dpa.gov.so dataguidance.com

  5. Saudi Arabia cooperation pact

    On 4 September 2025 Somalia and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement to cooperate on regulating and developing AI and space technology, covering knowledge exchange and future policy formulation, a cooperation framework, not domestic law.

    spaceinafrica.com sonna.so

  6. Strategy under development

    Somalia's AI governance position is being shaped through SNAIC's responsible-AI goals and the UNESCO-supported report, but no adopted strategy, voluntary guidelines, or bans on specific AI uses are currently in force.

    aipolicyportal.org unesco.org

Sources

  1. snaic.gov.so/
  2. snaic.gov.so/about/
  3. moct.gov.so/en/
  4. aipolicyportal.org/states/somalia
  5. unesco.org/en/articles/call-expression-interest-lead-national-expert-somalia-som
  6. unesco.org/ethics-ai/en/ram
  7. unesco.org/en/articles/recommendation-ethics-artificial-intelligence
  8. dpa.gov.so/
  9. dataguidance.com/sites/default/files/somalia_data_protection_act-2.pdf
  10. spaceinafrica.com/2025/09/15/somalia-and-saudi-arabia-collaborate-to-advance-ai-and-spa
  11. sonna.so/en/somalia-and-saudi-arabia-partner-to-advance-ai-and-space-technolog

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Orientation, not legal advice: verify against the primary sources linked above. Last verified 24 May 2026. Methodology & how to cite · State of Technology Regulation 2026