Blueprint and Roadmap for Iraq Electronic Public Distribution System

The project “Management consultancy to create blueprint and roadmap for Iraq digital or electronic Public Distribution System (ePDS)” aimed to support the Ministry of Trade of Iraq to implement electronic public distribution system in Iraq. The distribution system is a key component of the national Poverty Reduction Strategy that aims to provide effective social protection.

eGA experts developed a blueprint and roadmap for the digitalisation of Iraq’s Public Distribution System (PDS), a vital food ration program covering around 98% of Iraqis.

Created in the 1990s, the PDS involves 25 branches, 577 centers, and 53,000 food distribution agents. Since 2018, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has collaborated with Iraq’s Ministry of Trade to provide digital solutions and technical assistance for PDS digitalisation, contracting eGA for this task.

The PDS Digitalisation Project aimed to create an electronic PDS (ePDS) platform to improve management and efficiency of distribution. The main objectives were efficient distribution with minimal overhead and ensuring effective operation to provide goods to citizens in need.

eGA experts analysed four alternatives, and recommended a new ePDS application integrated with e-government. Within the project a high-level target architecture was developed that was compliant with TOGAF and the EU conceptual model, addressing strategy, organisational, application, semantic, and technology views. The recommendations also covered business process reengineering, change management, and capacity development.

Successful implementation of the ePDS required three main government registers: population data, social status data, and business entities data. Due to that, eGA experts highlighted the importance of building an e-government in Iraq.