What is a smart city you may wonder? A smart city is a developed urban area that creates sustainable economic development and high quality of life by excelling in multiple key areas; economy, mobility, environment, people, living, and government. This is all done by fusing human capital, social capital, and ICT infrastructure. On the 20th of July 2022, President ED Mnangagwa presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for the Zim Cyber City at New City in Mt Hampden. This is going to be the first ever smart city project in Zimbabwe. Here are some of the smart cities in Africa:
Zim Cyber City (New City, Mt Hampden, Zimbabwe)
This smart city will sit on over 23 hectares of land. It will comprise things like villas, cyber technology offices, shopping malls, recreational facilities, and Mulk Towers (a 15-storey building), amongst others. It will specifically feature 250 townhouses and more than 80 luxury villas. It will also include high-tech office facilities and a high-end retail arcade. Mulk Towers once completed will become the tallest tower in Africa. It will house the first ever duty-free mall in Harare. This is going to be a US$500 million project. The project is being funded by a group of Dubai-based investors headed by Mr Shaji UI Mulk under his company Mulk International.
Kigali Innovation City (Rwanda)
Usually just referred to as the KIC, it sits on 60 hectares of land in Kigali. The main thrust of this smart city is to facilitate the development of pan-African talent. It features 4 universities and startup incubators, plus supporting facilities for retail. There are hospitality and accommodation facilities. Carnegie Mellon University has already set up its footprint there as Carnegie Mellon University Africa. There are also 2 biotechnology companies from India and the US that have also set up shop in the KIC.
Akon City (Senegal)
The smart city will feature an office building, police station, fire department, outpatient clinic, general hospital, residential building, multiple-function stadium, a parking structure, mall, resort and spa, a casino, schools, industrial complexes, a landfill, and solar power plant to power the whole city. The second phase of the project is expected to commence in 2024 and be completed in 2029. The city will operate exclusively using the Akoin cryptocurrency.
Mehdia Renewable Energy City (Morocco)
This project was officially announced in 2016. The project cost will be US$2.5 billion invested over 7 years. The city will be completely carbon-free, relying wholly on renewable energy. It will span over 400 hectares and will use the wind, sun, and water to meet its energy needs. After completion, the city will accommodate more than 2000 housing units.
Modderfontein (South Africa)
This smart city project was officially announced in 2014. This is a project with a cost of over US$8.5 billion. This smart city project came forward to surpass or challenge Sandton which houses more than 10 percent of Africa’s richest people. Modderfontein is set to be dubbed the New York of Africa. It features more than 55 000 housing units and high-end luxury apartments. It also features more than 140 hectares of office space and an entertainment district, amongst other amenities.
Mooikloof Mega City (South Africa)
The smart city will be located in east Pretoria. The launch of the project was officially announced by the South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, in October 2020. Balwin Properties will oversee the project. The project is set to be complete by 2030. The smart city will include 16 000 apartments (whose construction is already underway) which cost over US$600 million. This will be scaled up over time to 50 000 apartments bringing the total cost to almost US$3 billion. These apartments will be the first phase of the project. Buildings will run exclusively on renewable energy.
October Oasis (Egypt)
Just so you know, Egypt has plans to develop 15, 4th-generation smart cities in the coming years. October Oasis is one of them; this is a mega smart city project with a cost of US$8.5 billion. The city has 2000 housing units spanning over 1200 hectares of land. There are both educational and recreational facilities. The smart city can accommodate over 200 000 people.
Wakanda Smart City (Ghana)
The smart city is inspired by the famous movie, Black Panther. It shall be bankrolled by Africa Diaspora Development Institute and local Ghanaian companies. It will feature a 1000-bed teaching hospital, 5-star hotels, a university, manufacturing plants, parks, shopping centres, roads that support self-driving cars, and a citywide 5G network.
Galala City (Egypt)
It features several tourist attractions. It also features a health and wellness resort, a seawater distillation plant, a phosphate fertilizers factory, 3 wastewater treatment stations, and a marble factory. It also has a yacht city, conference halls, a water sports city, hotels, malls, apartment buildings, schools, universities, villas, valets, and various entertainment facilities.
I only mentioned just a few of them either underway or on the cards. Otherwise, there are over 35 different smart cities in Africa currently. They are at varying stages of development. Some of the African countries with several smart city projects underway or on the cards are South Africa, Egypt, and Ghana. Smart cities are the future and it is interesting to see them gradually taking root in Africa.
