Somalia Cybersecurity Law (2026)

The Somalia Cybersecurity Law is the Federal Republic of Somalia's framework statute for national cybersecurity governance and incident response. It was approved by the House of the People of the Federal Parliament in January 2026; as at the date of this record presidential assent, gazette publication and commencement remain to be confirmed, and the full official text has not been published. Unlike the separate Somalia Cybercrime Bill (which focuses on criminal offences), this law is concerned with cyber resilience and the institutional architecture for protecting Somalia's digital systems. It establishes a comprehensive national framework for managing cybersecurity, setting out the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders - including the policy role of the Ministry of Communications and Technology, the technical and operational duties of the National Communications Authority of Somalia (NCA), and the obligations of critical-infrastructure operators. It provides processes for the prevention, reporting and handling of cybersecurity incidents, and creates the Somalia Computer Incident Response Team (SOM-CIRT) as the national body to coordinate technical responses to cyber threats. Officials have presented the law as a means of safeguarding national cybersecurity, protecting citizens' digital rights, building digital trust to support the growth of the digital economy, and aligning Somalia with international standards and best practice in cyberspace governance. The enforcing and coordinating institutions are the Ministry of Communications and Technology and the NCA, with SOM-CIRT as the operational incident-response function; no dedicated cybersecurity regulator record currently exists in the ATLPF Regulators database. This record sits alongside the Somalia Cybercrime Bill (2025) and the Communications Act 2017 (which established the NCA). It should be updated and re-verified once the law is assented to, published, and an official text becomes available.

1. 1Framework cybersecurity statute approved by the House of the People of the Federal Parliament in January 2026; presidential assent, publication and commencement to be confirmed
2. 2Establishes a comprehensive national framework for managing cybersecurity (distinct from the separate Cybercrime Bill on criminal offences)
3. 3Defines stakeholder roles: policy role of the Ministry of Communications and Technology, technical and operational duties of the National Communications Authority (NCA) and obligations of critical-infrastructure operators
4. 4Sets out processes for the prevention, reporting and handling of cybersecurity incidents
5. 5Creates the Somalia Computer Incident Response Team (SOM-CIRT) to coordinate technical responses to cyber threats
6. 6Stated aims: safeguard national cybersecurity, protect citizens' digital rights and align Somalia with international standards
7. 7Related instruments: Somalia Cybercrime Bill (2025) and Communications Act 2017 (NCA); reviewer note: create Regulator records for the NCA and SOM-CIRT and substitute official gazette text on verification