FEATURE : SMART CITIES support Smart City projects . The research firm said the use of advanced analytics embedded with AI / Machine Learning is also of paramount importance .
Manish Ranjan , Senior Program Manager – Software and Cloud , IDC MEA , said Africa has had an enormous rate of urbanisation in comparison to other continents and will continue to rapidly increase . Ranjan said the rapid expansion of Africa ’ s population puts a strain on critical infrastructures and education , health and transport systems and services .
“ While the adoption of Smart Cities is certainly driven by rising urbanisation , increased demands for space , resources and improved sustainability , it becomes difficult for many African countries to explore due to the cost implications . The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted development for several African governments as funds had to be rediverted to address the pandemic , leaving many African cities insufficient budget to ensure good quality of living . However , some of the African countries have been successful to turn megacities into technology and data hubs for the future and are well positioned to lead Smart City initiatives ,” he said .
According to Ranjan , there are currently a number of Smart City initiatives in development within Africa and some prominent ones include MelfortSmart City , which will be located 60km east of Zimbabwe ’ s capital Harare , Konza Technopolis City and Tatu City in Kenya , Eko Atlantic City in Nigeria , Hope City and King City in Ghana , Vision City and Kigali in Rwanda , Akon City in Senegal and Cape Town , Waterfall City and Modderfontein in South Africa .
Bethwel Opil , Enterprise Client Lead , Kaspersky in Africa , said the lower latency and faster speeds of 5G is a key component of ensuring a seamless integration between communication tools , cloud solutions , and software . Opil said with the benefits of 5G available to more people , it helps democratise access to data and digital services while creating an enabling environment for the establishment of Smart Cities across Africa . increasing use of low-code / no-code to launch digital platforms are on the rise .
Essie Mokgonyana , Country Manager and Sales Director , SAS South Africa , said citizens want and expect cities to use technology in ways that make services more effective , efficient , and responsive . Mokgonyana said for Smart City initiatives to be successful and deliver expected benefits , a clear and agreed-upon vision for the initiative is required .
“ In Smart Cities , governments use technologies such as the Internet of Things ( IoT ), communications , social media , data storage and analytics . However , IT projects present new data management , integration , and cost challenges to local governments . The potential to analyse ever-growing amounts of data streaming from sensors in devices such as streetlights , water meters , public transportation systems and more requires the establishment of a strong analytical backbone , including a centralised data store , as the framework for city government ,” she said .
Mokgonyana explained as data continues to grow , it becomes increasingly important for cities to quickly integrate and manage it all – including data created by IoT devices . “ Because cities are collecting data faster
Bethwel Opil , Enterprise Client Lead , Kaspersky in Africa
Ranjan said a large part of a successful Smart City is the integration of technology , innovation , analytics and governance .
“ The key technologies which are foundation for successful Smart City projects include IoT , AI / Machine Learning , cloud services , advance analytics , security , automation , cybersecurity and smart surveillance cameras . Given the rise of cloud and other emerging technologies such as AI , Machine Learning , IoT , there has been a proliferation of cloud-native applications which is also becoming critical for such projects . The
CITIZENS WANT AND EXPECT CITIES TO USE TECHNOLOGY IN WAYS THAT MAKE SERVICES MORE EFFECTIVE , EFFICIENT , AND
RESPONSIVE .
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