Consumer protection in Somalia

The Federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) lists a Consumer Protection Law and a Consumer Protection Service, but the public sources reviewed do not provide the law's full text, number, commencement date or detailed individual rights. An ESCWA overview from 2023 described Somalia as still lacking a specific consumer protection law. The legal status and practical reach of the listed framework therefore require verification. Somalia should not be assumed to have European-style withdrawal rights, warranty rules, mandatory price disclosure or a nationwide consumer ombudsman. For goods, MoCI can receive complaints about unsafe, counterfeit or substandard products. The process may include complaint submission, review, testing or verification and enforcement action. The Somali Bureau of Standards (SoBS) supports port inspection, market surveillance and factory inspection under the Standards and Quality Control Law No. 27 of 2020. For a defective or dangerous product, contact the seller first where that is safe and practical, then use MoCI or SoBS when the matter concerns product safety, counterfeiting or compliance. Keep the receipt, contract, payment proof, product photographs, packaging, batch or lot number and expiry date. Do not send original documents unless an authority specifically requires them. General national rules on returns, refunds, guarantees, unfair contract terms, distance sales and mandatory merchant dispute resolution are not clearly established in the available public sources. A written contract, receipt and payment record are therefore especially useful. A civil claim or court proceeding may remain possible as a separate legal consequence, but it is not a substitute for a clearly documented consumer complaint process. Financial complaints follow the provider and regulator concerned. The Central Bank of Somalia (CBS) lists licensed commercial banks, money transfer businesses known locally as Xawaalado, mobile money services, microfinance institutions, payment systems and Takaful operators. Under the 2016 Regulation on Money Transfer Business Operations, a money transfer business should disclose fees, charges and conditions in writing, provide a receipt, maintain a customer complaint mechanism and provide customer-care contacts at its headquarters, branches and agents. The provider remains responsible for the actions and omissions of its agents. Complain first to the provider or agent and escalate to the CBS through its licensing or supervisory contact if the response does not resolve the matter. Mobile money services are regulated by the Mobile Money Services Regulation 2020, amended in 2021, with the CBS responsible for supervision. For a wrong transfer, unauthorised transaction, blocked account or agent dispute, contact the provider promptly and attach the transaction ID, messages, screenshots and relevant account details. The available sources do not establish one nationwide refund or resolution deadline. Licensed microfinance institutions must use financing agreements that are legible, simple, understandable, transparent and fair, provide borrower rights and maintain complaint-handling and dispute-resolution mechanisms. Check the effective cost, fees, repayment terms and any Sharia terms before signing. The 2025 National Takaful Law established a CBS licensing and supervision framework; policy terms, exclusions and the claims process should be checked with the provider. Four operators received first licences on 24 January 2026, but no central public insurance ombudsman is evidenced. Telecommunications complaints normally begin with the company providing the service and can then be escalated to the National Communications Authority (NCA). The National Communications Law 2017 gives the NCA responsibilities concerning licensing, fair competition and consumer rights. The NCA's draft Telecom Consumer Protection Regulation, consulted on 16 February 2026, proposes service-quality, pricing and contract-transparency standards, but it should not be treated as final law. The NCA states a response aim of two working days for its official contact; this is not a guaranteed deadline for a final decision. SIM registration requires identity checks before activation, including a valid NIRA ID, and an unregistered SIM may be blocked or deactivated. Report suspected SIM misuse or telecom fraud to the provider and NCA. Complaints about the identity service itself belong with NIRA. The Data Protection Authority (DPA), established under the Data Protection Act No. 005 of 2023, handles complaints about unlawful, unfair or abusive processing, unauthorised disclosure, refusal of access, correction or erasure, excessive data collection and identity misuse. A complaint can be submitted online, by form, email or at the office without a fee. The DPA assesses admissibility, investigates and may close the case, require corrective action, reject it or take enforcement action. The duration depends on complexity. An organisation must notify the DPA of a personal-data breach within 72 hours, but that duty belongs to the organisation rather than the consumer. A DPA remedy does not itself decide a purchase-price refund or damages claim. Electricity services remain locally fragmented. The National Electricity Act 2023 provides for a National Electricity Authority (NEA) to regulate provider licensing, tariffs, subsidies and rural electrification. The Cabinet approved tariff and licensing regulations in July 2023, and the NEA launched an electricity-service-provider licensing framework in 2024. Private Electricity Service Providers, city networks, Federal Member State energy agencies and the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources may all affect the practical pathway. Start with the provider for tariff, outage, connection or safety complaints and then contact the NEA, the ministry or the relevant Federal Member State authority. No uniform national compensation or electricity dispute-resolution standard is clearly evidenced. Health-product complaints may concern medicines, biologics, medical devices, herbal medicines, food supplements, medicated cosmetics or tobacco. Since 10 January 2025, the Ministry of Health has used an interim National Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (NMRA) framework covering registration, licensing, inspection, post-market surveillance and pharmacovigilance. Report a suspected counterfeit, unsafe or expired product to the seller or pharmacy and to the NMRA or Ministry of Health, preserving the product, packaging, lot number, expiry date and receipt. The available sources do not clearly establish an individual refund or compensation mechanism. Food-safety oversight is also developing: the National Food Safety Policy was still documented as a draft or under development, with SoBS and health, agriculture, livestock and Federal Member State authorities having functional roles. Report unsafe or expired food to the seller, MoCI, SoBS or the appropriate food or health authority. No clearly evidenced national passenger-rights, travel-consumer or travel-specific dispute-resolution system was found in the reviewed official sources. For an airline, travel agent or hotel dispute, complain first to the contractual provider and retain the ticket, booking, contract and payment records. Suspected deception, theft, extortion or other crime should be reported to the police or the Attorney General's Office (AGO). The AGO has complaint, file-opening and prosecution functions. MoCI may be relevant to counterfeit goods or certain commercial fraud matters. Formal complaint access is concentrated largely in Mogadishu, while Federal Member State and local authorities, providers and informal practices can change the pathway. Somali and English terms are used in parallel. Public sources do not clearly state complaint fees or statutory deadlines for MoCI, NCA, CBS, NMRA or NEA complaints; DPA complaints are free, and the NCA's two-working-day response aim is not a merits-decision deadline. A provider, agent or community settlement is informal unless a competent authority or court gives it formal legal effect. Do not pay private individuals who claim to represent an authority. If an account or SIM is involved in suspected fraud, contact the provider immediately to secure or block it.