Africa faces many challenges in public health and local government. STC recognizes the tremendous need for technological support to the African local and state governments. As such, STC has provided donations, technology transfer, and consultancy support, with particular focus on the West African region. STC has been active in Senegal, Mali, Mauretania, Guinea, Morocco, Kenya, and with regional agencies, including the African Union and Aid Transparency. Below are a few examples of STC’s work.

Local Governance – System Development:
Land Management, Tax Support and GIS Capabilities

STC created a land management and tax support system, SIGGIL, for the Holy City of Touba, Senegal. The system was used to create and distribute land ownership titles to over 100,000 citizens. SIGGIL enabled the local government to levy the first taxation in Touba. The proceeds will be used to support the effort of the religious leader in funding public work projects. The new Touba system was the pretext for the development of a comprehensive GIS database that become the base for future extension.

The system can be an invaluable tool to support local governance improvements. The system can form the basis for an integrated, spatially aware governance solution. Planned system upgrades in Touba will support many community health functions including environmental health tracking and facility/inventory tracking for health facilities.

Regional Governance – System Hosting Services:
African Union information technology support

The African Union is involved in cross border regional governance and conflict resolution. The AU controls military forces and utilizes the Internet as a communication tool extensively. Therefore, a stable IT environment is essential to the mission of the AU. STC has been tasked to host and support the AU’s web presence.

Non-Government Sector – System Development:
Aid Transparency Economic and Social Indicator Atlas

Aid Transparency is a non-governmental organization engaged in the assessment of the economical and social benefits derived from aid projects in Western Africa. STC supported the communication of the findings via a specialized atlas.

Consulting – Strategic Planning
Information technology planning in agricultural developments

The Societe d’Exploitation et d’Amenagement des terres du Delta et des Terres de la Faleme (SAED), is responsible to sustainably manage the development and agricultural production in the northern part of Senegal. In its efforts, SAED must collect, manage, and share many data sets related to crops, hydrology, labor development, etc. Therefore, a stable and integrated technology solution is critical to SAED’s mission. STC was asked to assess SAED’s information system infrastructure and propose improvements in line with SAED’s mission and size. The STC team worked closely with SAED to develop a strategic plan that proposes a visionary phased framework along with specific tasks through 2010. STC’s staff also shared lessons learned in irrigation and regional development tactics in arid environments.

Consulting
Public Health:

STC has consults and supports technology initiatives of the ministry of health of Senegal in a variety of program areas, inlcuding hygiene and inspections, hospitals, and emergencies. STC reviewed and commented on requirements, proposed IT solutions and designs, made donations available for eductional visits of Senegalese officials with STC clients. STC’s team of experienced public health and IT specialists have visited government leaders including the President of Senegal on several occasion to discuss past and future projects and share lessons learned.