Rwanda Government pioneers Smart City Innovation with SRG and Nokia

Nokia and SRG will collaborate with the Government of Rwanda to deploy Smart City technology to improve the lifestyle and social sustainability of its citizens in 2017.

This announcement was made last week in Kigali during the Transform Africa Summit.

“Nokia is a global leader in driving innovation in 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart City solutions,“ says Mohamed Abdelrehim Head of Solutions and Business Development for Nokia in Middle East and Africa market in a press statement,.

”This project is in line with our vision to use technology innovation to create social sustainability and make people’s lives better and safer. We will be tapping into Nokia’s world-leading end-to-end solution portfolio to deliver to the Government of Rwanda a secure and effective Smart City solution, that includes a mission-critical access network, IP and Cloud Core networks, as well as our Impact Platform with associated IoT applications.”

As part of the project rollout, the Government of Rwanda will 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.

”As the strategic technical partner, we are proud to be associated with a progressive project that will enhance the digital economy for African countries,” says Abdelrehim. “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.”

“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. 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,” said Mr. Hon. Jean Philbert Nsengimana, Minister of Youth and ICT.

While SRG are known as a regional development leader, that provides opportunities for growth and mobility to empower people and nurture their capabilities, the strategic relationship with Nokia made the company a natural choice to partner with in the Rwanda Smart City project.

“Our philosophy is to develop sustainable and mutually beneficial relationships. 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,” said Osama Elnaim, SRG CEO.

“This partnership is a strong testimony that the public agency and private sector can work together to deliver a smarter future for Rwanda and for the African continent. Smart Africa is a big dream from our leaders who believe that our continent will be transformed using technology. This project is an important milestone towards the achievement of that goal, and we look forward to working together on this exciting initiative,” said Dr. Hamadoun Touré, Executive Director of the Smart Africa.

“Nokia’s commitment to Africa, our regional presence and local competence mean that we are in unique position to deliver Smart City solutions that meet the needs of governments across the African continent,” concluded Abdelrehim.