FEATURE : SMART CITIES
Smart City development garners momentum in Africa
A smart city is a town that uses information and communication technologies ( ICT ) to increase operational efficiency , share information with the public and improve both the quality of government services and citizen welfare . Industry pundits look at how smart cities are progressing on the African continent and which countries are leading in smart city infrastructure adoption , writes Manda Banda .
Urbanisation in Africa is in full swing . And as the fastest urbanising continent in the world its populations and rapid urbanisation are driving more of Africa ’ s population groups to its cities . Countries across the continent are being encouraged to turn to Smart City concepts , powered technologies such as cloud computing , the Internet of Things ( IoT ), ubiquitous connectivity and resourceful solutions if they are to reduce the pressure currently on city resources , as influenced by a growing demand for these resources .
Industry pundits say the principles that need to be considered for the adoption of Smart City infrastructure in Africa include putting technology in place for an already technology-savvy population , putting government systems in place that are responsive to the times and putting the type of socio-economic policy and agenda in place that promotes responsibility , efficiency and openness .
Research firm IDC predicts that by 2024 , 35 % of worldwide cities and communities will rely on low code and no code platforms to aid IT and non-IT staff to enable a swift roll out of digital programmes and new social and public health services . IDC stated that as threats against critical infrastructure continue as edge devices proliferate making IoT and OT security a top investment priority , there is an increasing adoption of cybersecurity and advanced security solutions to
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