Assessment of Digital Skills and Training in Somali Government Institutions.

Abstract

With an emphasis on employee competencies, access to digital tools, and institutional factors that impact digital capacity-building, this study investigates the current status of ICT training and digital skills within Somali government institutions. Understanding the readiness of the public sector workforce is crucial for enhancing service delivery, transparency, and administrative effectiveness as Somalia moves forward with its national digital transformation agenda. data on digital literacy, access to ICT resources, training experiences, and perceived barriers to skill development were gathered from 138 government employees using structured questionnaires and a descriptive research design. The results show that the majority of workers are young, highly educated, and have intermediate to advanced digital skills. They also show a strong desire to improve their digital competencies. significant skill gaps still exist in crucial areas like the use of Microsoft programs, online communication tools, and government digital services, despite the fact that computers are widely accessible and ICT tools are frequently used. Additionally, even though 70% of respondents said they had attended ICT-related training, the most significant obstacle to digital advancement was found to be the absence of regular and organized training opportunities. Skill development is further hampered by institutional constraints, such as insufficient organizational support, unequal distribution of ICT programs, and low awareness of available training. The study comes to the conclusion that although Somalia's public sector has a lot of potential for digital transformation, real progress will need better coordination between ministries and the creation of standardized, well-resourced training frameworks. Enhancing public sector performance and promoting sustainable national digital governance will require bolstering digital capacity-building initiatives.