Towards a National Government Interoperability Platform in Libya: The "Nawa" Data Exchange Project Experience

Abstract

Government digital transformation initiatives in Libya face fundamental challenges arising from the fragmentation of information systems and the absence of unified interoperability standards across government institutions. This paper presents a practical government interoperability model through the "Nawa" project, a proof-of-concept based on the Government Service Bus (GSB) concept, developed during a national hackathon organized by the General Information Authority and the Libyan Digital Innovation Lab, in collaboration with Expertise France and stakeholders under the European Union's E-NABLE project. The project involved four key government institutions: the Tax Authority, the Commercial Registry, the Central Bank of Libya, and the Customs Authority. Over a development period of approximately one month, a five-member team — relying exclusively on open-source technologies — implemented 23 interoperable web service endpoints supporting taxpayer verification, tax compliance assessment, and the issuance of tax clearance certificates. The prototype demonstrated the potential to reduce institutional integration complexity from six direct point-to-point (P2P) connections in the conventional model to four governed connections through a centralized platform, while preserving the autonomy of participating institutions and their existing information systems. The solution won first place and received the grand prize in the competition in January 2025. The findings indicate that successful interoperability initiatives require not only technical capabilities but also effective governance structures, legislative modernization, institutional readiness, and strong digital leadership. The paper provides an integrated vision for adopting a national interoperability platform in Libya, along with practical recommendations for scaling implementation nationwide.