The 10 Most Innovative African Cities

This article was first published by Tomorrow.City . Find it here .

Africa and its cities are at the center of all conversations about the future of our planet. This is because the continent will be the main scenario for urban growth. The first and most overwhelming argument that supports this is?demographic :?Africa's population is expected to exceed 4 billion in two decades.?In light of this situation, many cities have started to accelerate a much-needed technological transformation.

TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION IN AFRICAN CITIES

In terms of technological tenacity, African cities are?facing numerous challenges ?in terms of integrating the latest advancements, creating research habitats, and attracting new investments to create smart urban developments in extremely unfavorable contexts. Which are the most notable today?

Cape Town

Considered ?one of the smartest cities on the continent, the South African city has planned carefully to introduce state-of-the-art technologies. These include implementing a?public and free Wi-Fi system,?the creation of the first open data portal in Africa, the incorporation of smart energy grids, or the establishment of a series of governance services.

Nairobi

The capital of Kenya is not only home to renowned international institutions, including the?United Nations Office ?for the continent, but it is also perhaps the city that?exerts the most effort and investment in innovation.?The vast number of technology projects initiated in Nairobi have led to it being known as the?Silicon Savannah . Among the most significant is?the technology city of Konza .

Lagos

Lagos, in Nigeria, is set to become (if it isn't already) a mega-city. As such, the potential economic growth is leading it to embrace initiatives that have gained international acclaim.?Itana , a city just for startups, is an example of what is being created there.

Johannesburg

South Africa's largest city has also focused on building a smart city strategy. It has a digital-centric?program ?focused strongly on digitizing services and its sustainability, with the introduction, for example, of?smart lighting ?and the improvement of telecommunications.

Dar Es Salaam

The Tanzanian city has experienced rapid growth in recent years. Its main contribution to innovation is focused on?striving to improve its mobility and transport systems.

Irembo

Simply introducing invocations makes no sense and particularly given the challenge of striking a balance between rural and urban economic growth. Irembo, in Rwanda, is a humble and yet great example of how digitalization contributes to social cohesion.

Addis Ababa

Known as the political capital of Africa, it is following interesting strategies. The city center, in order to solve its problem of lack of parking spaces, has opted for a?smart parking infrastructure,?an innovation imported from China.

Cairo

The Egyptian capital has signed contracts?with multinationals including Huawei, Orange and Mastercard ?and it is redirecting its investments to go a step further in terms of urban technology. Entire districts have been designed, which will integrate state-of-the-art innovations for services and security.

Accra

Accra is another city whose efforts in innovation are paying off.?IBM has offered a team of experts ?to help with the introduction of technologies that allow the city's challenges to be overcome and exploit all its potential.

Tunisia

Tunisia aspires to become an international economic hub this decade. To achieve this, the city has prepared?a new strategy ?that includes a digital governance and e-commerce model.