Rwanda Taps Into the Smart City Movement

The Government of Rwanda has committed to invest in smart city capabilities and is working with communications industry giant Nokia and regional development organization SRG "to improve the lifestyle and social sustainability of its citizens in 2017."

The government plans to invest in "network connectivity and sensor deployment in different applications, which will serve the local citizens in public safety, waste management, utility applications and healthcare to name a few," according to an official announcement issued by Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK).

"It is our vision as a country to position Rwanda as a Technology Hub, by using ICT innovation to provide a better quality of life to our citizens and visitors," noted the Hon. Jean Philbert Nsengimana, Rwanda's Minister of Youth and ICT. "Rwanda is a pioneer in deploying Smart City Solution in Africa. Through this project, we will not only improve people's day to day lives with improved services and security, but we do anticipate long-term positive socio-economic benefits for the people in Rwanda and we also plan to share our experience with many other countries in Africa," he added.

"It is projects of this nature, supported and driven by government, that will make a real difference in enhancing people's lives, creating jobs and improving economies - in this case, the economy of Rwanda," according to Mohamed Abdelrehim, Head of Solutions and Business Development for Nokia in Middle East and Africa market.

Getting smart about Rwanda's cities.... from left to right: Walid El-Mougy and Mohamed Abdelrehim from Nokia; Dr. Ivan Twagirashema, CEO of Ngali Holdings; Mr. Osama Elnaim, Group CEO SRG; Dr. Hamadoun Touré, Executive Director of Smart Africa; Hon. Jean Philbert Nsengimana, Rwanda's Minister of Youth and ICT; Anwar Hussein, Executive Director East Central Africa, SRG; and Roger Savage, Atkins Director.

For SRG, Rwanada sounds like it's just the start. "Our philosophy is to develop sustainable and mutually beneficial relationships," stated the development organization's CEO, Osama Elnaim. "We have chosen Nokia as our strategic technical and IT infrastructure partner to deploy Smart City solutions in Rwanda and across the MEA Region. We are fully committed to use Nokia's leading technology and SRG market expertise to create smarter, safer and more sustainable cities in the region," he added.