Pakistan’s NADRA Leads International Digital Identity Revolution
Shazia Mehboob
Islamabad: The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has solidified its position as a key player in the global technology landscape by providing database-related software and hardware solutions to multiple countries over the years.
Its expertise in identity management systems has led to collaborations with the United Kingdom, European Union, Turkey, Bangladesh, Kenya, Sudan, Nigeria, and Somalia, among others.
According to official documents obtained by the PenPK.com, NADRA first provided its driving license software to Bangladesh in 2006. Subsequently, in 2008, Sudan acquired NADRA’s civil registration system, while Nigeria purchased Pakistan’s National Identity Management System (NIMS) in 2009.
In 2015, the Kenyan government received NADRA’s machine-readable passport and e-passport system, followed by Fiji in 2016, which obtained an election management system.
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Somalia became the recipient of NADRA’s National Identification System in 2018. Most recently, in 2023, Turkey procured NADRA’s readmission case management system, following its deployment in the European Union (2018) and the United Kingdom (2022).
Pakistan’s Support to Somalia
For the first time in history, NADRA has also supplied Somalia with not only a National Identification System but also two state-of-the-art personalization machines for identity card production.
Unlike other countries that acquire NADRA’s services through regular bidding, Somalia has been receiving this technology as part of Pakistan’s aid efforts since 2018.
NADRA spokesperson Syed Shabahat Ali said that the software solutions provided to different countries are tailored to their specific hardware and operational needs. “We ensure that the relevant staff of these countries receive proper training to operate the systems independently after an initial support period of approximately one year,” he said.
He also emphasized that these software solutions are delivered through a formal bidding process, ensuring transparency and efficiency.
