In collaboration with the PATTEC-Senegal, AU-PATTEC organized a regional training workshop on application of open source GIS in T&T projects in Dakar, Senegal from 21-27 May 2016. The beneficiaries of the regional training included eight participants from Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Conakry, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo who are linked to national projects and responsible for entomological and parasitological data collection and data analysis activities. Dr. Baba Sall, PATTEC-Senegal Coordinator, officially opened the workshop. Participants made presentations to share the current use of GIS in their programmes and how best they use the tool in their daily activities. Discussion were made before the formal course started.

Group Photo (left), participants during the training session (right)
In line with the Coordination effort of the PATTEC Initiative in the continent, the PATTEC Coordination Office has been tasked to provide technical support in areas where T&T member states are requesting assistance and where gaps are observed. GIS and Remote Sensing are some of the cross-cutting skills needed in the implementation of T&T programmes at national level. They support planning, field implementation, monitoring and evaluation activities of the national projects.

The training workshop concluded by agreeing on the need of creating a network of T&T data managers for the ECOWASS region; highlighting the importance of continuous collaboration and developing learning culture among ECOWAS member states. The participants appreciated and underlined the need for PATTEC Coordination Office to continue supporting the member states and providing any future support remotely, including through Skype and e-mail.

Mr. Girma Urgeacha, AU-PATTEC GIS/Database Specialist, Mr Oumarou SERDEBEOGO, GIS expert from PATTEC-Burkina Faso and Dr Baba Sall served as resource persons during the training workshop.