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Smart city technology: a potential solution

to Africa's growing population and rapid
urbanization?

Adaku Jane Echendu & Peter Claver Chiedozie Okafor

To cite this article: Adaku Jane Echendu & Peter Claver Chiedozie Okafor (2021) Smart city
technology: a potential solution to Africa's growing population and rapid urbanization?,
Development Studies Research, 8:1, 82-93, DOI: 10.1080/21665095.2021.1894963

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/21665095.2021.1894963

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DEVELOPMENT STUDIES RESEARCH
2021, VOL. 8, NO. 1, 82–93
https://doi.org/10.1080/21665095.2021.1894963

Smart city technology: a potential solution to Africa’s growing population and

rapid urbanization?
a b
Adaku Jane Echendu and Peter Claver Chiedozie Okafor
a
School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University Australia, Sydney, Australia; bNational Open University of Nigeria, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

Africa is rapidly urbanizing and its population is growing exponentially. The United Nations has Received 7 January 2021
predicted Africa will have the fastest global population growth, with over half of its populace Accepted 18 February 2021
residing in urban areas by 2050. This is concerning given Africa’s current infrastructural deficits
KEYWORDS
which compromise liveability in these urban areas. Education, health, and transport are core Africa; population growth;
areas of challenge in Africa and currently, no research is known to have analyzed if the infusion urbanization; development;
of smart city technology in these core areas will make a difference, a gap this paper fills. This sustainable development;
work reviews the literature on smart city technology using Singapore as a model to make smart city
inferences and ascertain the adaptability of the technology to the African situation. It seeks to
investigate the prospects of enhancing the aforementioned core areas of challenge using smart
city technology and determine the prospects for Africa’s development. Findings indicate Africa’s
current state of development is an advantage here as infusing core areas with digital
technology would proactively help address Africa’s urbanization challenges. African nations are
encouraged to embrace digital technology to address core development issues while putting
adequate measures in place to maintain the security and privacy of citizens.

Introduction environment with smart city technology playing a signifi-

cant role in this success (Yuen 2018). Singapore’s success
Africa is the fastest urbanizing continent. By 2050, it will be
is particularly inspiring and portends numerous lessons
home to more than 2.5 billion people with 55% of the popu-
for African cities to learn from especially in the light of
lation living in urban centers (Güneralp et al. 2017). This
the fact that not too long ago, it was classed as an underde-
urban growth is not being accompanied by the requisite
veloped third world country alongside most of the African
infrastructural investments or policies to cater to this
Nations today who are still stuck in the cycle of underdeve-
growth and attendant challenges (OECD/SWAC 2020).
lopment. Smart city technology has been successfully
Urban centers are believed to be central to achieving sus-
deployed to achieve significant success in sectors like Edu-
tainable development because of the significant economic
cation, Health, Transport, Security, Safety, Energy and,
potentials and opportunities they hold. However, the huge
Waste Management to mention a few. This work is an in-
pollution emanating from cities from sources among which
depth review that draws on qualitative and quantitative
transportation is a major one is also a factor impacting sus-
data from peer-reviewed and gray literature to provide a
tainable development (Uduporuwa 2020). African countries
concise and nuanced interpretation of the ways smart tech-
are particularly characterized by weak healthcare infrastruc-
nology can be applied in national development. Here, we
ture(Oleribe et al. 2019; Dekker et al. 2020), and overall
focus on the application of smart technology in the edu-
lower education and literacy levels (Kasim, Wahab, and
cation, health, and transport sectors and how this can be
Olayide 2020; Matekenya, Moyo, and Jeke 2020). Education
leveraged in the fast urbanizing cities of Africa.
is a necessary tool for achieving sustainable development.
While urbanization has benefits, the possibility of
urbanization to foster growth is dependent on adequate Literature review
institutional and infrastructural investment (Turok and
McGranahan 2013), and this is an area African countries A smart city is defined as
have not performed well in. Countries like Singapore an innovative city that uses information and communi-
have been able to achieve great success in their urban cation technologies (ICTs) and other means to improve

CONTACT Adaku Jane Echendu [email protected]

© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
 DEVELOPMENT STUDIES RESEARCH 83

the quality of life, efficiency of urban operation and ser- IoT (Internet of things)
vices, and competitiveness, while ensuring that it meets This is the technological base and backbone made up of
the needs of present and future generations with
interconnected devices and sensors. It is a system of
respect to economic, social, environmental as well as
cultural aspects. (Kondepudi et al. 2014, 13) interrelated physical devices and objects with the
ability to communicate and exchange information over
The core organizational fabric of the smart city embraces a network. Its basic framework consists of electronics,
advancements in communications, management of firmware, software, sensors, etc. IoT has the three key
data, the evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT), and features of interconnection, intelligence, and instrumen-
an array of physical networks for the smart management tation (Mohanty, Choppali, and Kougianos 2016). Wear-
of activities. The government has a central role to play in able devices, smartphones, smart electronics, and
developing every smart city ranging from planning to smart home gadgets are some examples of IoT.
implementing and running projects. A smart city is
thus an all-encompassing urban management archetype
Analytics
that advances control and efficiency, facilitates partici-
This refers to smart applications and data analytics capa-
pation, and promotes inclusion through leveraging
bilities for turning raw data into alerts, signals, and infor-
and utilizing modern technologies to achieve better
mation end users can utilize. Analytics involves mining,
functioning and sustainability for all residents. A
manipulating, analyzing, organizing, decision-making
narrow understanding is to think of the smart city only
functions. This level is the interface between the IoT
in relation to technology and connectedness. In reality
and governance components.
and principle, the smart city is about using technology
to enable the government, people, and business organ-
izations to make better-informed decisions and enhance Governance
the functioning and sustainability of society (Ponting This refers to the management, adoption, and usage of
and Yimin 2017). Smart city technology has been recog- the information generated to inform better decisions
nized to have an important role in achieving sustainable and improve lives (Ray 2018). Governance involves
development in contemporary times (Kutty et al. 2020). meaningfully utilizing the generated information to
To this end, many cities around the globe have deployed positively change the manner people work, live, and
smart technology to improve urban services and infra- ambulate. Governance means that the city needs to be
structure to improve economic and social conditions, able to combine the two other elements and administer
better environment, and improve their global competi- policies necessary for smooth operations (Mohanty,
tiveness and attraction (Trindade et al. 2017). Choppali, and Kougianos 2016). Smart city governance
Sustainable development is defined and understood entails fashioning novel forms of collaboration by utiliz-
in different ways in different fields; there is a consensus ing ICT to yield better outcomes and more transparent
however that sustainable development is all about governance systems (Meijer and Bolívar 2016).
improving and sustaining a thriving and healthy social, Digital technology and connectivity are the corner-
ecological and economic human development system stones of the infrastructural base. This is then deployed
(Hedlund-de Witt 2014; Bhattacharya, Oppenheim, and to help solve problems of sustainable development and
Stern 2015; Dabi and Kporha 2015; Emas 2015; Yigitcan- urbanization and build a better place to live, work, and
lar and Kamruzzaman 2015). The sustainable develop- learn. This is the main goal of the smart city. African
ment of a society thereby hinges on the accessibility of nations face the specific challenges smart technology
quality education and services like good health care is geared to solve making its successful infusion likely
and transportation (Mensah and Ricart Casadevall to yield positive dividends.
2019). Smart cities improve the lives of citizens while
providing a pathway to sustainable development
(Mondal et al. 2014; Gil-Garcia, Pardo, and Nam 2015). Singapore’s transformation
Effective deployment of smart city initiatives signifi- The evolution of smart cities in developed countries
cantly facilitates progress towards achieving Sustainable holds important lessons for developing countries to
Development (Mckinsey 2018). draw from (Imade 2016). Singapore’s development and
transformation is drawn upon as an example in this
study because of certain unique characteristics it
Components of a smart city
shares with African countries compared to other
Three layers form the foundation of the smart city. They western developed countries who have also actively
are: deployed smart technology in managing urban
84 A. J. ECHENDU AND P. C. OKAFOR

growth. Singapore is a city–state renowned for its via smart city technology in light of its population
deployment of Artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, growth and urbanization.
and the IoT to make the city an efficient, safe, and live-
able abode with residents achieving high levels of edu-
Singapore’s education system
cation, health, and mobility (Woo 2017; Kong and Woods
2018; Woo 2018). Being a forward-thinking and dynamic Singapore made significant investments over the years
nation, Singapore embraced technology and invested in to establish ICT at the core of its education system
a massive deployment of technology which has been (Chen 2013). As a policy, it aimed to have the ‘best
credited as key to the level of development Singapore and the brightest’ citizens understanding the key role
enjoys today. In just half a century, Singapore elevated intellectual enlightenment plays in national develop-
its status to emerge as a first-world country and a ment and embedded ICT in the root of its education
model that other countries look up to in the smart city system. The first IT masterplan was launched by the gov-
parlance. The smart city engages all aspects of urban ernment in 1997 and the second one in 2002. The first
life including health, education, transport, safety, and aimed at providing the basic ICT infrastructure and
productivity (Tan 2016; von Richthofen, Tomarchio, learning environment. The second aimed to facilitate
and Costa 2019). innovative, effective, and pervasive use of ICT for
Although Singapore is compact in size and has engaged schooling at every level (Jacobson et al.
strong government control which enables the better 2010). Both plans dictated the integration of ICT into
implementation of policies (Low 2001; May 2004), it the education system to proactively foster the develop-
shares similarities with many African countries ment of a culture of learning, thinking, communication,
(Brenya, Adu-Gyamfi, and Warden 2017). Singapore and social responsibility deemed necessary to excel in a
was previously classed alongside African countries as globally competitive labor market (Ping et al. 2003).
a third-world country; it was also under the colonial Singapore’s consistent high performance in the
government and gained independence around the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is
same time as colonized African nations. Like the a testament to its successful ‘smart’ educational system
majority of African countries, Singapore is also a poly- (Suprapto 2016; Christensen 2019; Schleicher 2019), as
glot, multi-racial, multi-religious, and multi-cultural evidenced by its 96% literacy rate, strong digital
nation (Tan 2018). Institutional and human underde- network connectivity and competitive education
velopment and deficits at the time of independence system (Tay, Toh, and Kaur 2019). Singapore has today,
was also the norm for both Singapore and the colo- emerged as a global model in education which other
nized African countries at the time of their countries strive to emulate.
emancipation.
The majority of the time, western countries are used
Singapore’s health system
as models but it is also important to highlight the
remarkable achievements of high-performing Singapore’s healthcare system has evolved significantly
countries of other parts of the world especially those with the support of various government policies (Bai
countries that African nations can relate to in certain et al. 2012). In the ’90s the Health Technology Assess-
ways. In this regard, Singapore makes a good model. ment (HTA) introduced a new medical technology, eval-
Its success is also acknowledged and respected uating the efficacy and safety of the new technology and
among many African countries (Soko 2020). For coordination to deliver better services (Pwee 2009). In
instance, Rwanda has modeled its development path Singapore, health practitioners routinely engage with
after Singapore and has achieved some degrees of patients via Telehealth to offer support with improved
commendable success. Rwanda specifically drew inspi- outcomes (Wai Leng et al. 2014), mostly in the areas of
ration from Singapore because it saw itself in Singa- efficiency, cost-savings, and access (Arun, Lam, and Tan
pore in certain ways (Uwizeyimana 2019). 2012). Telehealth is also widely deployed in the manage-
Showcasing it as an example in this study will inspire ment of chronic conditions like Diabetes. Telehealth has
African countries who can identify with Singapore also proved efficient in bridging gaps and extending
and it, therefore, makes a better model than other access to areas that had none (Ooi et al. 2015).
places where no similar common roots can be drawn. For example, MyDoc, a pioneer healthcare platform in
In this paper, we explore how digital/smart city tech- Singapore launched in 2012, successfully integrates
nologies were deployed in select sectors in Singapore various functions like virtual consultations and patient
and how the developing countries of Africa can diary via video conferencing which can be accessed any-
address challenges in education, health, and transport where over the internet in a secure communication
 DEVELOPMENT STUDIES RESEARCH 85

environment (Daruwalla, Wong, and Thambiah 2014). (Silva, Khan, and Han 2018). African countries are
Today, numerous other telehealth platforms exist and keenly interested in smart solutions to control the
provide a wide range of services further strengthening effects of rapid urbanization as evidenced by the attend-
Singapore’s healthcare system. ance of over 300 African mayors at various smart city
summits like the 2018 Transform Africa summit held in
Kigali Rwanda. There is proof of uptake of technologies
Singapore’s transport system
by African cities to improve urban services (Erastus,
Singapore’s transport system is powered by a techno- Jere, and Shava 2021), and further move towards adop-
logical base that provides accurate monitoring, tion in key areas will drive positive growth. There is com-
enhances accessibility and mobility, ensures safety, pelling and immediate evidence that smart city policies
reduces environmental pollution, and improves may help address problems that plague traditional rapid
efficiency. This has made Singapore a leader in smart urbanization patterns (Estevez, Lopes, and Janowski
transportation and a reference point for other nations 2016). The question of how smart technology can be
(Looi 2018). Three key and interdependent policies deployed by African cities in the education, healthcare,
based on ICT underpin Singapore’s gold standard and transport sectors are answered below.
smart and sustainable transport system: (i) Transit-
focused and compact urban environment; (ii) restriction
Education
of private vehicle ownership and use and; (iii) commit-
ment to the continuous improvement and integration Education is key to the sustainable development of
of public transport (Barter 2008; Kumar Debnath et al. nations but Africa’s current education system lags in
2011). Singapore boasts a robust public transport this core area (Uleanya et al. 2019). Countries in every
system consisting mainly of buses, a rapid transit part of the world, despite the level of development,
system, and taxis. Bicycling facilities, pedestrian walk- are making inroads into the infusion of ICT in schools
ways, and the Park and Ride scheme are other additional to better prepare the youth for the digital age (Choy
transport initiatives ensuring access for all road users and Ng 2015; Gonen, Sharon, and Lev-Ari 2016). The
(Haque, Chin, and Debnath 2013). Electronic toll use of ICT tools in the educational system can increase
systems facilitate the road pricing policy which helps the productivity and efficiency of teachers (Akarowhe
manage congestion. Enhanced technology also pro- 2017). Carving out specific and goal-driven ICT policies
motes road safety, for example, electronic devices for to have enlightened and well-educated citizens in line
old people to allow more time to cross the road, the with Singapore’s ‘Best and Brightest’ or ‘Smart Nation’
installation of intelligent traffic studs at pedestrian cross- initiative is just one way to foster education. The use
ings to alert drivers when pedestrians are present at of ICT in education promotes access to world-class
night, flashing beacons at zebra crossings, and real- quality content; enables a better and more educated
time speed advisory signs (Barter 2008; Kumar populace; provides access to low-cost teaching
Debnath et al. 2011). The advancement and infusion of resources and enables interactive, synchronous two-
smart technology into every facet of Singapore’s trans- way content (d’Aiglepierre, Aubert, and Loiret 2017).
port system has helped solve notable transport Common tools employed by teachers in the developed
problems. world include lesson preparation and authoring tools,
student tracking tools, learning management systems
like Blackboard, and test service systems (Ünlü and
Discussion
Wang 2017). For students, ICT promotes increased
The world is rapidly urbanizing and in 2008, for the very learner collaboration and engagement (Tay and Wang
first time historically, more people were residing in cities 2016).
than in rural areas worldwide; by 2050, over 68% of the Some innovations in ICT in Africa like Worldspace,
global population will be living in urban areas concen- Eneza, and eGranary are helping improve education.
trated mostly in Asia, Latin America, and Africa, with Worldspace is a technology used in Kenya to broadcast
the fastest-growing urban centers being in Africa (UN learning content to more than 10 million pupils in
2018). The smart city concept holds a lot of potential 21,000 primary and secondary schools (Mwangudza
for Africa, the continent most in need of sustainable et al. 2013). Eneza Education is an ed-tech company
development given the myriad of development chal- operating in Kenya, Ghana, and Ivory Coast that
lenges it is facing (Gitahi 2016). This is because it was enables students to access revision and learning
birthed as a solution to some of the challenges that materials. Over 6 million learners accessed Eneza’s
come with growing populations and urbanization resources with over 23% learner improvement within
86 A. J. ECHENDU AND P. C. OKAFOR

nine months (Winthrop and McGivney 2015). eGranary technology to deliver life-saving medical supplies like
Digital Library provides digital learning materials to blood to where it is needed in Lagos, Nigeria. MTRAC
schools that lack sufficient internet access. eGranary is an SMS-based technology that connects hospitals in
obtains permissions to duplicate websites and distri- Uganda to the national drug chain and is used by gov-
butes them to intranet servers of the partner institutions ernment health workers in Uganda to report on medi-
in developing countries (Gafinowitz 2016). A lot of cine stocks. Other areas that could be explored include
higher education institutions in Africa are using chronic disease management like diabetes; as diabetes
eGranary to improve learning outcomes for students. technology tools like continuous glucose monitors and
These technologies are helping to circumvent poor insulin pumps have proven quite effective in managing
internet access and enable African universities to diabetes (Allen et al. 2017).
access international libraries (Norton, Early, and Tembe The internet has emerged as a cost-efficient and prac-
2010). Further deployment of similar smart technology tical information source providing people access to
will certainly help improve access to education as evi- healthcare material that might have been otherwise
denced by the given examples. Hopeful trends on the inaccessible (Massey 2016). The government uses the
informal use of mobile Internet by students and teachers internet in Singapore to provide information to health
to augment classroom learning has already been seen in practitioners and users alike. Information on necessary
rural Sierra Leone (Samarakoon, Christiansen, and Munro medical procedures is provided to citizens in the govern-
2017). Just as ICT has helped and formed a core part of ment’s health portal in a bid to help them save cost. The
Singapore’s education system, working towards the use of ICT in health presents a chance for building stron-
same in Africa will ensure exponential growth in the ger health systems to ensure better service delivery
education sector and overall development. (Balikuddembe and Reinhardt 2020). In Africa, there
are still gaps in taking advantage of the health infor-
mation available on the internet generally. Access is
Healthcare
marred by unreliable internet connection, high cost of
The majority of African countries rank very poorly in the internet access, and power problems despite the willing-
healthcare sector which is compounded by a shortage of ness of the people to use the internet (Obasola and
doctors and inadequate health infrastructure (Arun, Agunbiade 2016). There is a need to address these miti-
Lam, and Tan 2012; Deaton and Tortora 2015). Disease gating factors. In a study investigating the use of the
burden is high and healthcare is underfunded in Africa internet for health information among healthcare pro-
(Gouda et al. 2019). Technology in the form of telehealth fessionals in Nigeria, despite the very high level of inter-
has the potential to bridge this immense gap and ensure net literacy among respondents, usage of e-resources
access among the diverse and remote population as is was very limited as 85.7% of the respondents did not
being done in Singapore where its vulnerable aged take advantage of the knowledge available on the inter-
population is served in the comfort of their homes. net. Slow internet connection, poor awareness of avail-
The increasing mobile penetration in Africa can acceler- able digital resources, and lack of subscription to e-
ate growth in the fledgling health sector and overcome databases for the most up-to-date resources by health
the lack of physical infrastructure (Adeola and Evans institutions were some of the factors identified as militat-
2018). The current gap in health policy could serve as ing the usage of ICT by health professionals (Oriogu,
a bonus in the quick adoption of technology without Subair, and Oriogu-Ogbuiyi 2017). Smart technology
policy restrictions (Alonge 2017). indeed holds the potentials to bridge the healthcare
There is already some promise as smart technology is gap in Africa.
already used to some degree in countries like Nigeria
(Lovitske 2018). Aajoh, a health tech firm in Nigeria
Transportation
uses Artificial intelligence (AI) for fast and remote
medical diagnoses where patients input their symptoms Transportation is a major pollution source in urban
in the app and receive a diagnosis alongside information centers globally (Agarana, Bishop, and Agboola 2017;
on where to purchase drugs. Information on where to Hoffmann 2019; Schäfer and Yeh 2020). The denser or
procure prescribed drugs is important because of the more populated the city, the greater the pollution
proliferation of fake drugs in Africa which has caused a especially in African urban centers due to the higher
lot of deaths. Doctors become freer to treat patients in number of vehicles and reliance on road transport
need of in-person care and access to healthcare is (Naidja, Ali-Khodja, and Khardi 2018; Katoto et al.
widened. AI is helping to bridge the infrastructural 2019). Singapore’s transport system is venerated as
gap. For example, LifeBank utilizes digital supply chain among the best in the world (Debnath et al. 2014).
 DEVELOPMENT STUDIES RESEARCH 87

Many other countries have also sought to improve their et al. 2016). More than 127 million people use the BRT
transport sector using Singapore’s model and African system annually which has greatly improved transpor-
cities can certainly draw lessons from Singapore’s trans- tation services. India’s solution was modeled after the
port sector given its poor Urban Transportation Infra- successful rollout of similar technology in Italy and
structure (UTI) (Kumar and Barrett 2008; Berg et al. Brazil but the Indian version has been voted the world
2017). UTI is an important asset for cities because of best in terms of efficiency. This is to illustrate how poss-
the impact on urban functioning. Africa’s urbanization ible it is to piggyback on technological successes else-
and population growth have made this need for UTI where. Some cities of Africa already have BRT systems
even more paramount because of the need for sustain- in place but there is still room to improve through the
able mobility which impacts economic growth (Chat- infusion of technology to better manage the system.
ziioannou, Alvarez-Icaza, and Galatioto 2017). There is Examples of areas that will benefit from smart technol-
a huge deficit in transportation infrastructure which ogy adoption include traffic flow, parking, and ped-
has made congestion a hallmark of African megacities estrian management (facilities for cycling and walking).
like Lagos in Nigeria (Ukpata and Etika 2012). It is not Integration of technology in environmentally friendly
uncommon to spend 5 hours daily on the commute in transport like public bicycle systems and bike-sharing
Lagos. Getting to work is an arduous task in most of are also possibilities (Bamwesigye and Hlavackova
Africa’s cities as a result of the dysfunctional urban 2019). An improved transport system will enable cities
transport system. The cost of traffic congestion to harness the benefits of agglomeration in urban
amount to billions of US dollars and cities with con- centers and become more efficient. A paradigm shift is
gestion problem lose investment to less congested indeed necessary for African cities to achieve sustainable
areas (Newman 1996; Bamwesigye and Hlavackova development in the transport sector.
2019).
Smart city technology could help improve traffic con-
Security and privacy concerns, control and
gestion and poor public transport and road systems.
mitigation
Pedestrian crossing and pedestrian traffic light are
mostly inexistent despite walking accounting for more Progressing Africa to digital smart city solutions needs to
than half of trips in cities like Kinshasha, Conakry, and be a continuous and measured process and efforts to
Douala. It is therefore not surprising that pedestrians make it safe and secure could be achieved by: (i) Cyber-
make up two-thirds of all road-related fatalities in the security; (ii) Testing and continuous improvement; (iii)
cities of Africa (Arimah 2017). ICT has the power to Anonymization and aggregation of data; (iv) Decentrali-
deliver positive changes and bridge the current infra- zation (v) Licensed Professionals handling systems and
structural gap, freeing up time for skilled labor which white hat hacking.
equals more productivity (Lovitske 2018). Intelligent
Transport systems can help in reducing the impact of
Cybersecurity
congestion in cities. For instance, advanced traveler
and traffic management systems can predict congestion Open data is key to the success of smart city programs
and proffer alternative route options to vehicles in real- (Barns 2016), but interconnected digital systems also
time and improve the efficiency of travel. Such a system carry a high risk of data security making it imperative
can also offer information to vehicles and travelers on for every smart city strategy to have a strong cyber-
the best time to leave their homes, traffic accidents, security component (Berger 2017). There is the risk of
weather conditions, etc which will enable them to take privacy invasion but for AI systems to work, citizens
the best options. Developing African countries can must share information. When they don’t because of
install the necessary digital technology at the same privacy concerns, there are constraints on data deploy-
time physical infrastructure is being built which is ment to solve problems. People face a trade-off
cheaper than retrofitting as would be the case for devel- between protecting privacy and benefits accruable
oped countries wishing to upgrade or roll out new tech- from broader scopes of data use. IoT indeed provides
nology in these areas (Pojani and Stead 2015). an enormous interface for hackers to strike and infil-
Intelligent solutions can solve the existing transpor- trated security networks pose very grave risks if
tation problems by improving the efficiency and allo- hackers attack. Remote control of medical devices and
cation of resources across the various forms of compromising of medical monitors could lead to the
transport. In India, there is a GPS installed Bus Rapid death of patients (Anandarajan and Malik 2018). The
Transit System (BRTS) which has helped in improving hijack of self-driving cars is also a dangerous possibility.
public transport and reducing carbon emission (Kathuria Secure infrastructure is necessary for the transformation
88 A. J. ECHENDU AND P. C. OKAFOR

of African cities to smart cities (Erastus, Jere, and Shava also known as ethical hacking involves proactively
2021). High levels of security must be in place before working to detect and fix bugs and flaws in the system
critical IoT applications are deployed and a plan to before cybercriminals discover and take advantage of
respond to such breaches must be in place and con- the bugs (Al-Sharif et al. 2016). Ethical hackers could
stantly reviewed in line with changing realities. be engaged to improve the security of smart systems.
These are some security measures advocated for the
developing African countries eager to hop on the
Testing and continuous improvement
smart city train. Smart city opponents are mainly con-
To reduce the security and privacy risks associated with cerned about government surveillance, the privacy of
smart city technologies, the smart systems need to be citizens, and other digital rights.
effectively tested, deployed, monitored, and supervised
(Mark 2017) especially given recognized concerns like
The way forward
system failure which could have a significant impact
(Lacinák and Ristvej 2017). Nothing must be deployed While the areas which form the core of this study are not
that hasn’t been tested and demonstrated as safe to use. the only areas that need attention to achieve sustainable
development in Africa, they are nevertheless important
and will drive improvement in other areas. Two angles
Anonymization and aggregation of data
to Africa’s rapid population growth and urbanization are
Making the data collected by smart city applications that its high growth rate can perpetuate existent inequal-
open and public is a way to reassure the people of trans- ities and poverty and inhibit growth; and its position to
parency (Woherem and Odedra-Straub 2017). Anonymi- use smart technology to foster economic development
zation and aggregation of data de-identifies data and promote sustainability (Huet 2016). African cities
enhancing privacy. Building citizen’s trust and openness might be seen as falling behind the curve but the wide
increases trust and engagement levels. Singapore is adoption of digital technologies has the potential to
modeled into an open-source society renowned for change the paradigm (Lee 2014). Despite the attendant
high levels of transparency, trust, and openness even risks associated with smart city technology, experts ulti-
as independent consultants are contracted to audit the mately agree that the adoption of smart city initiatives
system to ensure that its integrity is maintained will enormously improve human lives (Geib 2017; Bibri
(Soppouris 2016). 2019; Bibri and Krogstie 2019). The smart city system
ensures the integration and optimization of urban infra-
structure systems beyond like water, sewage, energy,
Decentralization
transport; it also promotes efficiency in the management
Decentralization of systems is another way to mitigate of these systems as well as the resolution of human-
risks by ensuring that pockets of technology are scat- capacity and environmental issues (Hancke and Hancke
tered and not in one central location which increases 2013; Bibri 2019). The penetration rate of smart technol-
the risk of attack and things going wrong on a wider ogy is still low in Africa (David and Grobler 2020), with
scale if the central system goes wrong. Some solutions the implication that the potentials they portend for devel-
are possible with only local communication example opment are not being adequately harnessed. Significantly,
signboards showing available parking spots. Wherever there is evidence of ICT integration enhancing competi-
possible, if the data needed to make things easier is tiveness and being positive for economic growth and
local and doesn’t need centralization to work, there is development in Africa (Solomon and van Klyton 2020).
no need for centralization. Such solutions reduce the While ICT investments involve huge capital, African
complexity of smart systems. countries are positioned to benefit immensely from invest-
ments because it is home to the world’s youngest popu-
lation. Africa contributes 37% of the global youth
Licensed professionals handling systems and
population (Ude 2020), with an average age below 20
white hat hacking
(Diop et al. 2020). This youthful population brings with it
The experts who manage smart systems must have a lot of potentials in the successful uptake of smart tech-
certain minimum and regulated competency standards nology as young people have proven to be more adept
because malfunctioning of smart systems could result and accepting of new, modern smart technology.
in grave consequences like the loss of lives. Certain pro- It is not news that the transport system in Africa is
graming must be done by only licensed professionals below par and marred with systemic issues (Boateng
who have proven competencies. White hat hacking, 2021). Road transport accounts for 90% of passenger
 DEVELOPMENT STUDIES RESEARCH 89

movement and 80% of goods in Africa (Sabar and El reduce operational costs, address transportation and
Hammoumi 2020). Smart transportation will make a sig- congestion problems, and promote competitiveness.
nificant impact by reducing congestion, increasing To achieve these goals many nations are turning to
safety, reducing transfer cost, improving the speed of smart solutions because of the myriad of opportunities
transfer, and reducing pollution (Peprah, Amponsah, they offer to address development needs. There are
and Oduro 2019). For education, primary school enroll- endless opportunities for Africa as its urban centers are
ment is not yet 100% and secondary enrollment was at the cusp of speedy development in various ways
only 28.3% in 2017 (Begashaw 2020). ICT technology giving its cities the rare chance to initiate and pilot a
can make education more accessible for remote popu- new era of thinking which will yield quantifiable
lations where there may not be physical schools. benefits to its citizens.
‘Africa Rising,’ a term coined to reflect positive growth Smart technological applications provide the
and development strides by the media is replacing the means for African cities to help solve their needs
negative impoverished region stereotype long associated and leapfrog other nations in their development.
with Africa (Brooks 2018). With the ‘Africa Rising’ account Embracing smart city technologies for African cities
gaining traction, visions of urbanization need to be exam- is a necessity for global competitiveness. Asides
ined, especially given the continent’s rapid population from the core areas that form the focus of this
surge (Slavova and Okwechime 2016), particularly in its paper, Smart city technology can also be deployed
cities. Despite Africa’s rising, regrettably, six of its cities to improve security and safety, energy use, security,
ranked poorest in the 2018 liveability index, while five and waste management while encouraging citizen
African cities made it in the list of least liveable cities (Kiun- participation and inclusion in governance. Seeking a
guyu 2018; EIU 2019). While cities are a magnet of talent, smart city development pathway is an important stra-
productivity, and innovation which can yield immense tegic pathway with many prospects. Africa’s rapid
economic value, an adequate institutional framework urbanization pace makes it imperative to apply
can help to redesign cities around smart solutions to digital technologies in city administration to
achieve sustainability (Akujobi, Nwakanma, and Ekeocha improve resource allocation (Shell 2014).
2017; Engel, Berbegal-Mirabent, and Piqué 2018). Devel- Smart cities are a holistic and workable framework
oping African nations can set themselves apart with a that can help African nations achieve their develop-
strong drive to succeed, good vision, and management ment goals and the continent is well-positioned to
as they now have the opportunity to simply adopt what take this journey and achieve success given its youth-
has proven successful elsewhere saving huge initial devel- ful populace is more than eager to adopt new technol-
opment costs in the process; as well as building new cities ogies. The fact that Singapore, a country that barely
from the scratch with these technologies as seen in half a decade ago, had a similar profile and develop-
Kenya’s Silicon Savannah and Lagos’ Eko Atlantic city. mental challenges as many African countries but has
Such approaches give the luxury of a blank canvas to evolved into a first-world country with the deployment
explore and design solutions to suit unique citizens’ of technology is proof that Africa can achieve this.
needs without the hassle of retrofitting. Smart cities Africa can learn from other experiences, replicating
offer much more benefits than risks and if done right their successes/achievements, and avoiding their mis-
will deliver solutions for more efficient, cleaner, and safer takes. The benefits of embracing technology are
lives as long as we employ the same levels of defence legion and transcend into spheres like utilizing the
for data that we do for our homes and precious belong- big data generated from social activities to improve
ings. However, there should be a balance between the safety and security, transport services, public health
need to advance quickly and achieve economic gains problems, energy use, and waste management. The
and transition time to engage with citizens in order for new era of low-cost digital technology provides
them to grasp new concepts and accept them as well as Africa with an opportunity to engage better in the
cautious testing and validation of new systems. Education global market. Combined with its youthful population,
and public engagement are key to enable citizens to a new dawn may just be here for Africa, all thanks to
understand changes in how things work in a smart city digital technology. Advancing the smart city solution
and serve as a feedback medium to improve solutions. for Africa seems like a viable way forward as long as
the necessary checks and balances are in place.
Conclusion
Cities all over the world are striving and under pressure Disclosure statement
to improve services to their residents, increase efficiency, No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
90 A. J. ECHENDU AND P. C. OKAFOR

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