12 AFRICAN CITIES MAKING THE DIGITAL TRANSITION

Agence Française de Développement (AFD) is supporting 12 African cities in their effort to make the transition to digital platforms. The municipalities’ aim is to collectively develop and share skills in digital services across sectors - to become sustainable smart cities.
AFD has been supporting the creation of the African Smart Towns Network (ASToN) since October 2019. This initiative brings together 12 cities across East and West Africa. Using new technologies to provide services that are well suited to local contexts and residents’ needs, it’s part of a common goal to create smart cities across the continent.

Making the cut : Selected to be a part of the Smart Towns Network

After a call for applications, the following cities have been selected to take part in the network : Algiers (Algeria), Bamako (Mali), Ben Guerir (Morocco), Bizerte (Tunisia), Kampala (Uganda), Kigali (Rwanda), Kumasi (Ghana), Lagos (Nigeria), Maputo-Matola (Mozambique), Niamey (Niger), Nouakchott (Mauritania) and Sèmè-Kpodji (Benin).
Each city has linked its digital transition to a specific priority :

• Ben guerir : youth / digital divide
• Algiers : data management
• Bizerte : clean city - waste management
• Niamey : security and transportation
• Kampala : mobility
• Kigali : civic participation
• Maputo : tax collection
• Lagos : mobility
• Sèmè-kpodji : ownership
• Kumasi : mobility
• Bamako : tax collection
• Nouakchott : computer addressing

The ASToN network will support the municipalities in two ways. Funding from AFD, representing a total of €2.995 million over 2½ years, will be managed directly by the cities. They can surround themselves with international experts to support them throughout the various phases of the project : digital maturity assessment, organization of local groups bringing together local stakeholders (companies, associations, etc.), development of a digital transition action plan, then prototype testing.

Learn more : the ASToN network will be at the 2020 World Urban Forum in Abu Dhabi, where it will be organizing a Networking Event on inclusive innovation in African cities on 12 February 2020 at 4:30pm. Read more here