GIS Empowers Senegal’s Electricity Transformation & National Growth
Khatib & Alami (K&A) is paving the way for a corporate Geographic Information Systems (GIS) implementation to support Senegal’s economic transformation and national growth.
The National Electricity Company of Senegal (SENELEC) awarded K&A, in association with NRECA International, a new GIS consultancy project in Senegal to help the planning of electrification projects in the country – noting that the current national overall electricity access rate is 64%. Funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) through MCA Senegal II, this transformational project will eventually support and modernize the electricity sector in the urban and rural areas which face high energy costs and limited access to electricity. K&A will spearhead a comprehensive GIS deployment and implementation plan, including yearly operational support to SENELEC business users. The project spans 17 months and encompasses the preparation of tender documents for advanced equipment and additional software solutions. Safaa Issa, Senior Manager – Energy & Utilities, said: “K&A has a long history of working with SENELEC. We are proud to support Senegal in this critical project that will contribute to power supply improvement in rural and urban areas by modeling the electricity network in the GIS system, identifying its proximity to populated areas, and assessing their corresponding energy demand.”
From a population of over 16 million, approximately 55 percent of Senegalese live in rural areas with an 8 percent electricity access rate. On the other hand, only 50 percent of urban residents have access to the national grid. “This project will provide numerous benefits to Senegal by assisting optimal electrification programs to achieve higher expansion rates, which will, in turn, improve quality of life and livelihood, reduce poverty, foster economic opportunities, and reduce illiteracy. This is not an ordinary initiative, but another solid bridge towards our expansion in the sub-Saharan African market.” K&A is a leading geospatial system integrator and a digital services provider with over 500 successful projects and 34 years of experience in providing solutions and services, systems integration, operation support and enterprise implementations for public and private institutions, electricity, water, telecom, and energy providers.