openIMIS - in brief (countries, partners, DPG, DPI link)

openIMIS is an open-source software for the administration of social protection, e.g. health insurance, occupational accident insurance, voucher systems, cash transfers and social registries. 17.7 million people in 12 countries (Tanzania, Cameroon, Gambia, DR Congo, Chad, Mauritania, Malawi, Moldova, Nepal, Bangladesh and Niue) are already benefiting from better management of their health and social programs through the software; the implementation is being prepared or piloted in other countries as well.

openIMIS has been developed and implemented by GIZ on behalf of BMZ and Switzerland (SDC) since 2016. As part of the EU funding for the Digital Convergence Initiative, the EU has also been supporting the openIMIS initiative's ongoing commitment to the development and implementation of global standards (for improved interoperability) in digital social protection since 2024.

openIMIS is available to the partner countries free of charge and is certified as a “digital public good” by the Digital Public Good Alliance (DPGA). The openIMIS initiative cooperates with key partners in social protection such as the International Labor Organization (ILO), the World Bank, the World Food Programme and the International Social Security Association (ISSA). The cooperation includes implementation partnerships, joint capacity development measures, marketing for openIMIS and coordination in the openIMIS Stakeholder Committee.

Cooperation with the World Bank is of particular importance: in 2023, the World Bank's digital solution CORE-MIS has been technically integrated with openIMIS to provide a joint software package with extended functions, particularly for cash transfers. The merger strengthens the political coalition, united behind the leading software solution in the field of digital social protection.

Current developments of openIMIS services for the identification of potential beneficiaries based on specific criteria (targeting), the use for social registers, case management (Grievance Redressal Mechanism) and the use of AI, e.g. for the accelerated claims adjudication, show that openIMIS can support digital public infrastructure (DPI), even beyond the health and social protection sectors.