﻿THE 15 SMART CITY PROJECTS CHANGING THE FACE OF AFRICA
As we walked through the bustling streets of Cairo's Smart Village,
it was hard to believe that just a few years ago, this suburb was nothing
more than a barren wasteland. But with the vision and determination of its developers,
it has been transformed into a thriving hub of innovation and technology. And Cairo's Smart
Village is just one example of the incredible smart city projects happening all across Africa.
From Lagos' Eko Atlantic, a city built on reclaimed land and designed with sustainability
in mind, to Konza Technopolis in Kenya, which aims to become Africa's own Silicon Valley,
the continent is teeming with ambitious projects that are shaping the future of urban living.
But with so many exciting developments happening all at once, it can be hard
to keep track of them all. That's why, on this episode of Thinkrich Africa,
we're bringing you a list of the top 15 smart city projects ongoing in Africa. From Morocco
to South Africa, these projects are pushing the boundaries of what's possible and setting a new
standard for urban living on the continent. So join us as we take a tour of the most
innovative and ambitious smart city projects in Africa, and get a glimpse of what the future holds
for urban living on the continent. 15. Wakanda City, Ghana
Inspired by the technologically advanced fictional African place portrayed in Black
Panther, the Wakanda city in Ghana aims to be a pilgrimage for people of African descent to learn
about their history, culture, the civilization of the continent and its role in the creation of
the new world economy. With five different project phases, the city on completion will feature a one
thousand-bed teaching hospital, a university and technical college, five-star hotels and resorts,
a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant, parks and green spaces, a shopping center, roads
created to support self-driving electric cars and many more. Expected to create approximately
3,000 jobs in the country, the Wakanda city project is committed to change the African
narrative and has the capacity to move Africa to its rightful place on the world stage.
14. La Gare city, Ethiopia
Developed by Eagle Hills along with Addis Ababa’s city government, La Gare is a 21-story apartment
block with 87 units including 24-hours security, resident parking and an expensive
lobby. On completion, it is estimated to be a $1.5 billion complex which has 4,000 homes,
along with hotels, retail and leisure amenities. Set to become the beating heart of Addis Ababa,
delivering main benefits to local communities and the economy via commerce and creation of jobs. On
completion, La Gare will be a sign that Addis Ababa can sustain a commercial property market,
which in turn activates its design, and finance sector and captivate foreign investment.
The project is one of Ethiopia’s soon to be victories in achieving a middle-income economy.
13. Waterfall City, South Africa
Being carried out on a 2,200 hectare land, the Waterfall City is a mega project in the
Midrand municipality of South Africa. Over the years, the project has experienced rapid urban
development that has made it a modern center for living and working. Being the country’s largest
property development and the largest mixed-tenure development in Africa, the project brings a new
era of prime real estate to the country’s economic center, Gauteng. The city offers
a distinctive opportunity for citizens to work, shop, play and live in an ecologically sensitive,
secure and easily accessible environment. The Waterfall city offers the best of upscale modern
life and much more including secure retirement villages, residential estates, hospitals,
private schools, green spaces, five star hotels and fitness centers. Being constructed on an
estimated budget of over R21 billion, the city also consist of a business hub with a range of
entertainment, shopping and dining options including the iconic mall of Africa.
12. Ai Galala City, Egypt Located in northeast Egypt, the Galala city
lies on Northern Galala Plateau on the western side of the Gulf of Suez. It represents one of
the multiple ambitious urban development projects of the Egyptian government with the general aim of
solving the problem of congestion in the existing cities. The Galala city will consist of Luxury,
medium and middle income housing, touristic resorts and hotels, a water park and a phosphate
fertilizers factory. Launched in 2015, the city’s construction will be implemented in three phases
and on completion, the city will also be made up of an Olympic village. Beginning from the
Ain Sokhna road and ending beside Zaafarana, the 82 kilometer-long AI Galala road which connects
the city to the capital and other cities in the sea coast was opened in 2017. Supervised by the
Engineering Authority of the Armed forces with the assistance of the civil sector,
the city has an estimated area of 17,000 acres. The Galala city will have the longest cable car in
the Middle East with a distance of 4.5km and will also consist of several entertainment facilities.
11. October Oasis, Egypt
It is a residential project in southern 6th of October city with high-income, middle-income and
mid-to-low income residential housing, as well as commercial, retail, hotel and recreational
blocks. Already being carried out, the project has been estimated to occupy 10,000 acres of land and
cost $1.8 billion. With an aim to create a market ready urban development with a focus on mainly
residential areas for a wide range of different lifestyle and income groups, an interdisciplinary
work approach has been chosen in order to determine all relevant development parameters
of the city. The October Oasis City project has an overall vision to build a contemporary oasis
for up to 300,000 new inhabitants. 10. Cape Coast Green City, Ghana
Aimed at transforming Cape Coast, a city, fishing port, capital of Cape Coast Metropolitan district
and central region of South Ghana into a green, smart and sustainable model city, the Cape Coast
Green City project has been launched. It is a brainchild of Mamdev Ghana Limited based
in Accra and it is backed up by the government of Ghana alongside the chiefs, people of Cape
Coast and persons in the diaspora. The project majorly entails the reconstruction and upgrading
of all major road networks with Cape Coast and those connecting the city to other cities in the
country. the project also includes the development of already existing hospitals into specialist
centers, the improvement of the educational cradle of the nation into extensive and modern research,
educational and technological development center, the development of green energy,
water systems and waste management models into integrated systems, the improvement of
tourism centers, the upgrading g of housing and hospitality centers and the establishment of a
welcoming community for all Africans. 9. Lanseria Smart City, South Africa
Aimed at creating the first post-apartheid city in South Africa based on best practice
in urban sustainability and the principles underpinning the smart city, the Lanseria
smart city is inclusive of the broadly defined South African socio-economic spectrum and will
stimulate a vibrant mixed urban economy. Expected to be carried out in 25 years, the City is being
constructed to surround the Lanseria International Airport north of Johannesburg. Aiming to move
urban sustainability beyond existing paradigms of planning, engineering and urbanization to
increasingly appropriate levels of sustainability and innovation, the Lanseria city will feature
rainwater harvesting and solar energy to limit its carbon footprint. Strongly focusing on limiting
the need to commute using cars, the new city will be walk able. That is, people will be able to
walk to work, shopping malls or schools within 5 minutes to 10 minutes. Located on 130 hectares of
prime real estate between Lanseria airport and the upmarket, the 24/7 smart city will provide retail,
conference and business facilities. 8. Kigali Innovation Smart City, Rwanda
Through RDB and Africa50, a pan-African infrastructure investment platform, the government
of Rwanda planned the Kigali Innovation Smart city which is a mixed-used development and technology
innovation hub situated in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital city. With a population of over 1 million
people, Kigali being the economic and financial hub of the nation is particularly well positioned
to host the Innovation city and other smarty cities. The Kigali Innovation City will serve
as a center for the Technology industry in Rwanda and it is planned to house offices of global and
local technology companies. With both national and regional implementations, the City is expected to
serve as a model for smart city technology. 7. New Alamein City, Egypt
Inaugurated by the Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in 2018, the New Alamein City
lies on the Mediterranean Sea, approximately 85km West of Borg EI Arab International Airport.
Currently under construction, it was conceived by the Egyptian government as a center for tourism,
education and government. it has its own presidential palace and ministry buildings
and on completion, it’ll have three universities, fifteen skyscrapers and high rise towers, 10,000
hotel rooms and additional coastal towers. 6. Akon City, Senegal
Launched by the Senegalese singer and entrepreneur Akon, the Akon City, proposed to be built in
Senegal was inspired by the movie “Black Panther” and is being referred to as real life Wakanda.
Still on fore planned to have large skyscrapers, shopping malls, technology hub, music studios,
“Senewood” and eco-friendly tourists resorts, the City with use the latest technology of block
chain, crypto currency founded by Akon himself. It is a proposed 10 years project, being developed on
2,000 acres of land. With a primary goal of stimulating the local economy and creating
jobs for local workers, the smart eco-friendly city will be powered by renewable energy.
5. Eko Atlantic City, Nigeria
Sitting on 10 million square meters of land reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean, the Eco
Atlantic City project is privately funded by South Energy Nigeria Limited. Intended to have the size
of Manhattan’s skyscraper district, the city is a marvel of modern engineering and technology and an
attestation to the rise of Nigeria on the world stage. The city already has independent reliable
electricity, advanced fiber optic telecoms and clean water utility services installed across it,
below street level. On completion, it will be self-sufficient and sustainable, consisting of
its own power generation, clean water, advanced telecommunications, spacious roads, state-of-art
urban design and tree-lined streets. 4. Tangier Tech City, Morocco
Launched by the king of Morocco in 2017, it is a city being built on a 200 hectare of land, for
an estimated period of 10years. The city has set international goals as it is designed to spearhead
the future tangier region economic hub at the gateway of Europe. Estimated to cost approximately
$10 billion, close to 200 Chinese companies operating in the automotive aerospace, textile,
electronics and machine tool sectors are planning to set locations there. The site of the technology
and manufacturing hub is strategically located at the confluence of busy shipping routes, just
few kilometers away from the Strait of Gibraltar linking the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean
Sea. It is planned to host skyscrapers, residential and industrial zones adopting the
latest technologies and smart solutions. 3. Centenary City, Nigeria
Overseen by the Centenary City FZE as part of Nigeria’s vision to create the city of
the future smart city along the same lines with Dubai, Monaco and Singapore, the Centenary city
is a master-planned development being established in the Federal Capital Territory in Nigeria. Built
from scratch on 1,260 hectares of virgin land, five kilometers from the International Airport,
the concept of the city was brought up as a legacy project t to mark the centenary of Nigeria in
2014. On completion, the centenary city will have a mixed-use urban center, a centenary business
district, a museum and cultural center to promote African and global arts, a financial center,
world-class hotels, grade A offices, residential districts, an 18-hole golf course, polo and
country club, an international convention center, sports and leisure facilities, a safari park,
educational institutions, healthcare and community amenities, all to be private-sector driven.
2. Konza Technopolis, Kenya Currently known as Konza Technopolis it is a large
technology hub planned by the government of Kenya and is being built 64kn South of Nairobi on the
way to the port City of Mombasa. The project is a key driver of Kenya’s national development plan,
called Kenya vision 2030. It is being marketed by the Kenyan government through Kenya ICT Board. The
project is aimed at attracting business process outsourcing, software development, data centers,
disaster recovery centers, call centers and light assembly manufacturing industries. The project
also consists of building a university campus focused on research and technology as well as
hotels, residential areas, schools and hospitals. Science parks, a convention center, shopping
malls, a healthy facility and international schools are not left out in the project.
The project, estimated to cost 1.2 trillion Kenyan shillings involves a design team which consists of
the Ministry of Information and Communication and International Finance Corporation. Sub members of
the design team include shop architects, Dalberg Global development advisors, a center of urban
and regional planning, OZ architecture, Tetra tech, Dar Al-Handasah and HR and A advisors.
1. Egypt’s New Administrative Capital
Located 45km East of Cairo outside the Second Greater Cairo Ring Road,
it is the administrative and financial capital of Egypt on construction. The project is one of
the economic development programs in Egypt and is part of Egypt’s Vision 2030. The City, which
hasn’t been named officially, is mainly being constructed to relieve congestion in Cairo which
is one of the world’s most crowded cities. It city has been designed to be made up of 21 residential
districts and 25 dedicated districts. Its downtown has skyscrapers including the Oblisco capital
designed in the form of a Pharaonic Obelisk and will stand at a height of 3,300ft. the city will
also consist of a central park, artificial lakes, about 2000 educational institutions, a technology
and innovation park, 663 hospitals and clinics, 1250 mosques and churches, a 90,000 seat stadium,
40,000 hotel rooms, a major theme park 4 times the size of Disneyland, 90square kilometers of
solar energy farms, an electric railway linked with Cairo and a new international airport.
It is being built as a smart city and 45 billion USD has been used to transfer Egypt’s parliament,
presidential palaces, government ministries and foreign embassies between 2020 and 2022. Most
of the project and sale of property is done by the Egyptian military. The project is one
which will not only put Egypt but Africa as a whole on the spotlight of booming development.
With all we’ve learned about these cities being constructed in Africa, it is no doubt
that Africa is about to become a new world. These interesting cities being established are indeed
going to change the face of the continent. If you enjoyed watching this video, please do not forget
to leave a thumps up, subscribe and become a member of our growing diverse community here
on THINK RICH AFRICA. Thanks for watching and see you in another interesting video.