Mali introduces new platforms to enhance digital public service access

A system that will produce biometric driver’s licenses and vehicle registration cards is part of several other digital service platforms which the Malian government is introducing.

The novelties were presented recently to the country’s Prime Minister, Abdoulaye Maiga, as part of the push to streamline the delivery of public services.

The solutions are all said to have been developed in Mali in a move that underscores the country’s innovative tech startup landscape.

A recent Facebook post of the Prime Minister’s office indicated that the digital tools were presented by the Ministries of Transport, Health and Territorial Administration to respectively streamline transport sector services, improve patient data management and confidentiality, as well as ensure public service workflow and attendance monitoring of public servants.

Among the four solutions introduced by the Transport ministry is a platform dubbed Sigui-Dolo which will serve the purpose of issuing secure transport documents, and facilitate access to online services including a payments system TrésorPay and a Customs platform labelled SYDONIA.

Another novelty is a system to digitize toll gates, with 10 of the 33 gates nationwide already digitized. The ministry says with this digitization, revenue from one of the toll gates has increased from XAF 30 million (US$53.7K) to XAF 60 million (US$107k). There is also a digital ticketing system introduced by the country’s national road safety agency based on a mobile application.

The Health Ministry, on its part, has developed an integrated health information system OpenClinic which will facilitate the “creation, storage, and retrieval of patient records while covering clinical, financial, pharmaceutical, laboratory, and statistical aspects.” It is already being used in some health facilities and there are plans to link the platform with the national identification system (NINA) and a compulsory health insurance scheme (AMO).

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation told the PM of its Integrated Prefectoral Information Management System (SIGIP). Apart from ensuring the safety and confidentiality of data, it will also help the government in monitoring activities of associations, and allow for the follow-up of attendance for public servants.

Mali is pursuing a digital transformation plan which includes the expansion of legal identity through the intensification of birth registration which is currently at around 90 percent. This is despite the country’s territorial vastness and other existing challenges.

Earlier this year, the Malian government started setting up a platform that was aimed at facilitating access to public services by citizens living out of the country.

Article Topics

Africa  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  government services  |  Mali  |  mDL (mobile driver's license)