Bareedo Platform Somalia Launches DoorashoKaab to Strengthen Civic Participation and Electoral Transparency in Somalia

Garowe, Puntland – 22 June 2026 – Bareedo Platform Somalia, a youth-led civil society organization dedicated to promoting inclusive democracy and citizen participation, officially launched DoorashoKaab, an innovative civic technology platform designed to empower Somali citizens with accessible civic education, trusted voter information, and safe digital tools to learn, participate, and report during elections.

The official launch event was held at Dream Point Hotel in Garowe, Puntland, bringing together more than 50 representatives from government institutions, the electoral commission, political parties, civil society organizations, media outlets, youth networks, women-led organizations, and other key stakeholders committed to strengthening democratic governance in Somalia.

DoorashoKaab is a bilingual (Somali and English), open-source digital platform and mobile application developed by Bareedo Platform Somalia to address longstanding challenges in civic education, electoral participation, and transparency. Designed to operate effectively in low-bandwidth environments and accommodate varying levels of digital literacy, the platform provides accessible tools that enable citizens to participate more actively and confidently in democratic processes.

The platform was developed with support from the Election Civic Tech Fund of AfricTivistes, implemented through the AHEAD Africa and Digitalise Youth initiatives.

Speaking at the launch event, Abdikhayr Mohamed Hussein, Executive Director of Bareedo Platform Somalia, emphasized the need for innovative civic technology solutions in Somalia’s evolving democratic landscape.

“DoorashoKaab was developed in response to critical gaps in Somalia’s electoral ecosystem, particularly limited access to civic education, low and uneven participation among youth, women, and marginalized groups, declining public trust in electoral processes, and the increasing spread of misinformation. The platform also addresses the lack of safe and structured channels through which citizens can report electoral irregularities and engage meaningfully in democratic processes.”

A Comprehensive Civic Technology Platform

During the launch, Bareedo Platform presented the key features of DoorashoKaab, highlighting its role as a one-stop platform for civic learning, voter information, electoral transparency, and citizen engagement. The platforms consists of the following features:

Civic Education Section: The Civic Education Section provides a range of self-paced learning courses covering civic education, electoral processes, democratic participation, citizens’ rights and responsibilities, and safe electoral engagement. The platform also features a growing trained network of more than 150 Digital Civic Ambassadors based across Somalia who are leading grassroots civic education, voter awareness, and community engagement activities in their respective communities.
Polling Stations Section: The Polling Stations Section enables citizens to locate voting centers through interactive maps and searchable lists. It also provides information on registered voters, voter turnout, election schedules, polling locations, and verified election results. The platform presents election data and results from democratic elections held across Somalia in accessible visual formats.
Incident Reporting Section: The Incident Reporting Section allows citizens to safely report electoral concerns, irregularities, or incidents they witness before, during, and after elections. Users can submit reports through a simple digital form, attach supporting evidence, and receive a tracking number that enables them to follow the progress of their case while relevant authorities investigate and respond.
Resources Section: The Resources Section provides free access to election-related laws, policies, regulations, guidelines, procedures, and educational materials from the Federal Government of Somalia, Puntland, Somaliland, and other electoral institutions.
Updates Section: The Updates Section offers citizens access to verified election news, official announcements, reports, and real-time developments related to democratic processes across Somalia.

Stakeholders Welcome the Initiative

Following the presentation, participants commended Bareedo Platform Somalia for introducing an innovative tool that strengthens citizen participation and electoral transparency.

Ahmed Sahid, a youth representative from the Mustaqbal Political Party, praised the initiative and its potential impact on youth engagement.

“On behalf of young people and political parties, I commend Bareedo Platform for developing and launching DoorashoKaab. This is a timely and much-needed platform that will strengthen youth participation, democratic engagement, electoral transparency, and citizen involvement in Puntland and across Somalia.”

Ifrah Abdinor, Executive Director of Midnimo Women Network, highlighted the platform’s potential to enhance women’s participation in elections.

“We warmly welcome this important initiative and see a significant opportunity for Somali women to participate more effectively and meaningfully in democratic and electoral processes.”

H.E. Abdirahman Sheikh Ahmed, Puntland Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and member of Mideeye Political Party, expressed his appreciation for the platform’s extensive electoral information resources.

“I am impressed by the DoorashoKaab platform and appreciate Bareedo Platform for this remarkable initiative. The platform clearly demonstrates Puntland’s democratic progress, particularly through the availability of electoral laws, policies, and procedures, as well as information highlighting the strong voter turnout achieved in Puntland’s elections.”

The platform was officially launched by H.E. Mohamud Aidid, Puntland Minister of Youth and Sports, who emphasized the importance of civic education in Somalia’s democratic transition.

“We highly appreciate this initiative and are particularly encouraged by the civic education component of the platform. Civic education is essential during this period of democratic transformation. I encourage young people to share DoorashoKaab widely within schools, universities, and youth networks so that more citizens can benefit from it.”

Supporting Somalia’s Democratic Future

Bareedo Platform Somalia intends to continue expanding and strengthening DoorashoKaab so that citizens across all regions of Somalia can access civic learning resources, verified voter information, electoral updates, and safe reporting mechanisms through a single platform.

The organization believes that DoorashoKaab will contribute significantly to increasing the participation of youth, women, persons with disabilities, minority communities, and other underrepresented groups in democratic processes, while also promoting transparency, accountability, public trust, and informed citizen engagement.

As Somalia continues its democratic journey, civic technology initiatives such as DoorashoKaab offer new opportunities to connect citizens with democratic institutions and ensure that participation, transparency, and accountability remain at the center of electoral processes.

About Bareedo Platform Somalia

Bareedo Platform Somalia is a youth-led, non-profit organization established in 2015 to promote participatory democracy, civic engagement, open government, and digital rights in Somalia. Through innovation, technology, and citizen-centered approaches, the organization works to strengthen democratic governance and empower citizens to participate meaningfully in public affairs.