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Get Ready For Sèmè City, Benin’s New Smart City

Get Ready For Sèmè City, Benin’s New Smart City

Everyone wants a smart city. Every country in Africa is talking about getting one – from Rwanda’s Vision City to Ghana’s Hope City. Even Nigeria with its many, many problems, wants a smart city. To be clear, smart cities are great, but we are of the opinion that smart cities only work in a country that is already working. And for now, that’s not Nigeria.

And now, another African country is throwing its hat into the smart city ring. The Benin Republic has announced its plans to launch a new smart city, Sèmè City, aimed at fostering Africa-grown innovation as a solution to the continent’s economic challenges.

From Kobini. Story by Odunayo Eweniyi.

What is a smart city exactly? A smart city is an urban development vision to integrate information and communication technology and Internet of things technology (IoT) to manage a city’s assets. Eventually, building one smart city is supposed to be the first step in transforming a whole country into a more digital and efficient economy.

Benin Republic’s Sèmè City is being built to serve as a tech hub for the country, complete with a business incubator – with 250 startups to be selected to receive support by 2030. The Benin government is also offering tax and customs breaks, special economic zones and procedural advantages as incentives to prospective members of Sèmè City to encourage entrepreneurship and investment.

Read more at Kobini.