Somalia on Thursday launched a digital Ebola travel health pass and began requiring travellers arriving in the country to complete a health declaration form before arrival, the health ministry said.
Health Minister Ali Haji Adam launched the system at a ceremony in Mogadishu, the ministry said. He said travellers entering Somalia must fill in the form accurately and fully before arrival. The ministry said access to the system is free.
The National Institute of Health developed the system to help health workers quickly identify travel-related health risks, confirm the health of people entering the country and make follow-up easier when needed, according to the statement.
Adam asked airlines, airport management and other relevant bodies to work closely on implementing the system, make travellers aware of it and ensure health procedures at the country’s borders are carried out effectively, the statement said.
The minister also said travellers’ health data would be handled securely, with their privacy and personal data rights protected, according to a statement from the National Institute of Health.
The system is being introduced first at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu and will be extended gradually to other airports, seaports and land borders, the ministry said. It did not give a timeline for the expansion.
The ministry said the system would help prevent the spread of Ebola, strengthen emergency preparedness and protect national health security.
The ceremony was attended by State Minister for Transport Abdikarim Abdow Haydat, National Institute of Health Director General Dr. Huseen Abukar Muhudin and World Health Organization Acting Country Representative Dr. Mohammed Ali Kamil.
The measure comes as an Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain continues to spread in Democratic Republic of Congo. Recently, Kenya reported a fatal case of a man who arrived from DRC. Somalia has reported no confirmed cases.
The launch reflects growing regional concern over cross-border transmission risks as countries in East Africa tighten health screening at points of entry. Somalia’s decision to digitise the declaration process marks a shift from paper-based screening, which health officials say can slow processing at airports and complicate data sharing between agencies.
Under the new arrangement, travellers will submit their health information through an online platform before departure, allowing authorities to flag potential risks in advance and reduce congestion at arrival halls. The ministry stressed that the system is designed to complement, rather than replace, existing border health measures.
Officials from the National Institute of Health said the platform would also generate data useful for epidemiological surveillance, helping health workers trace and monitor travellers who may have been exposed to infectious diseases. The institute described the tool as part of broader efforts to modernise Somalia’s public health infrastructure.
The World Health Organization has repeatedly urged African countries to strengthen preparedness at borders amid outbreaks of viral haemorrhagic fevers in the region. Ebola, which spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, has a high fatality rate and requires rapid isolation and contact tracing to contain.
Somalia’s health authorities said no confirmed Ebola cases have been recorded in the country, but the government is taking precautionary steps given increased travel and trade links with affected neighbours. The ministry did not specify penalties for travellers who fail to complete the declaration form.
