When we think of Smart Cities, In many cases, large metropolises such as London, San Francisco or Singapore come to mind. However, the technological phenomenon is not exclusive to the world's richest countries. emerging countries are also currently working to achieve a Digital Transformation of its companies and a better quality of life for its citizens thanks to technological innovation.
In this article we will focus on the Smart City phenomenon that some countries are experiencing, such as the United States. India, Morocco and South Africa, The company's employees, who every day undertake new initiatives to encourage investment and improve the local economy.
India wants to create 100 Smart Cities in the next few years
For some years now, India has been on the list of leading countries that are committed to technological innovation. And not only that, but they also seek to improve the current waste of resources and bet on new sustainable models. Without going any further, this May the Smart Cities India 2016 Exhibition was held in New Delhi, which this year had the slogan “Smarter Solutions for a Better Tomorrow”. The presentation of the program of this event was attended by the Indian Prime Minister, Nerendra Modi, who stated that half of the population will live in smart cities by 2030.
The Indian government has set a challenge for this Smart Cities Expo: to get the Indian government to 100 Indian cities can be considered truly smart cities in the coming years. The government wants to place special emphasis on aspects such as water and electricity supply, improved transportation systems, education, healthcare and sustainable housing.
However, the main problem that the Indian government wants to solve is pollution, one of the main threats to the environment in the subcontinent. The fact is that 34 Indian cities are in the top 100 of the world's most polluted cities. most polluted countries on the planet according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It is no coincidence that 17 of the 100 cities that the Indian government wants to turn into Smart Cities also appear on the WHO list of the most polluted cities on the planet. In this sense, the Smart Cities will have to find a solution to the motor vehicle dependence, the energy inefficiency of the buildings and the dependence on fossil fuels.
As could not be otherwise, voices critical of the Indian government's intention have also appeared. Experts criticize the fact that in India, the majority of the population (70%) does not live in the big cities, but in the small villages that have been forgotten in the process of converting metropolises into connected cities. According to experts, if the focus is not fixed on the progress and development of the small towns, will be impossible to achieve real progress in the country as a whole..
Therefore, the first thing that both businessmen and government leaders should think about is to improve the infrastructure and services in small towns, which in most cases are not always the best in the world. do not have basic infrastructures such as roads, electricity and drinking water supply. In other words: smart villages before smart cities.
African continent seeks investors for Smart Cities development
As we know, Africa is a continent that suffers from terrible inequalities, both in terms of the GDP of the countries that make it up and the purchasing power of the population of the same state. This is also reflected in investment and technological progress: while some countries are beginning to shine as a relevant part of the Smart City phenomenon and have already made progress in terms of digital transformation, there are others that have lagged behind.
One of the states with the greatest commitment to innovation is Morocco. Precisely, on May 18 and 19 of this month, the first Smart City Expo of the African continent, organized in part by the Fira de Barcelona. In this case, the event aims to deal with topics such as sustainability, urban planning and the concepts of collaborative city and citizen engagement.
Along the same lines, Rwanda will host next October the third edition of the Transform Africa Summit, which this year will focus precisely on the development of Smart Cities. This event will bring together more than 300 mayors from some of the continent's most important cities to show the main components of a Smart City. The main objective is to bring the achievements of technology to large African cities, as is the case of Rwanda, which already has WiFi in public areas and transport.
Rwanda seems to be one of the countries that bets the most on Digital Transformation, since, in addition to the Transform Africa Summit, a few days ago ended the World Economic Forum on Africa, also held in this central African state. There, the Smart Africa Alliance has reached an agreement with Ericsson to undertake Digital Transformation across the continent. As a result, Ericsson will serve as a partner of the Smart Africa Alliance and will work as a consultant and as a collaborator in the technology implementation plan. What is the long-term goal of this initiative? That the private sector takes an interest in the African continent, This will create an environment conducive to investment. Digital Transformation can only be achieved in the major African economies, according to experts, if private companies take an interest in the continent's markets.
In addition to Rwanda, one of the countries that has invested the most in Digital Transformation and is more committed to to offer facilities to new Startups technology is South Africa, which has its own “Sillicon Valley” called Stellenbosch Innovation District (SID). Pieter van Heyningen, Programmes Manager of SID made these statements to The Guardian in 2013: “Smart Cities are a concept of developed countries. When we look at what the criteria is to define what is and what is not a Smart City, we look at governments, healthcare, buildings, mobility, infrastructure and technology. Despite the enormous amount of money that could be generated by the creation of these systems, if we take a look at the investment map on a global scale at the level of sustainable technology, we will see that Africa is forgotten”.
The main concern of the African technology industry is therefore linked to the possible private investments they may receive in the future. It may be that, as we see has already happened with Ericsson, in the coming months the continent's states will be able to get the major technology companies interested in the economic development in Africa.