Kigali is building its way to becoming ‘the Silicon Valley of Africa’ The city is preparing itself for the arrival of US$100 billion companies.
Kigali, Rwanda’s largest city, is on the verge of becoming the Silicon Valley of Africa, according to the BBC.
It’s home to the headquarters of Intel, Google, and Facebook as well as the tech hub of the Rwandan government, which is now trying to become the most dynamic economy on the African continent by developing “new generation infrastructure”.
The city is looking to become the epicenter of mobile technologies and e-commerce.
It’s part of a trend that began in Rwanda when the country’s government created a special innovation center to promote the digital economy. A new innovation city will be built there in 2020.
A recent investment report by the Rwandan government claims that the creation of a new innovation city will enable the country to build up its “digital economy” in a way that would not be possible without its infrastructure being digitalized.
“The creation of a new innovation city will be a landmark for the entire country,” the report claimed.
“Kigali, in particular, will become an important center of electronic and digital entrepreneurship, where Rwanda’s tech entrepreneurs will be able to grow their businesses,” an official said, according to the Rwanda News.
The city is hoping that the creation of a new innovation city will help the country overcome its digital divide. The report explained how the creation of the new innovation city will “enhance digital infrastructure” and “enable the business potential of businesses and the growth of entrepreneurs.”
Some of the key areas of interest in the city are:
The innovation council is in charge of creating the new innovation city. The council came up with plans to create infrastructure for the new innovation city that will be one of its main focuses. The report claimed that the innovation council “identified the following areas:”
1. “Kigali has an immense potential to house new generation businesses and create large scale businesses.” Kigali now has an airport that has a capacity to handle 300 passengers.
2. “The city’s infrastructure is now digital and the city has created an innovation platform to help businesses create new market for themselves.” There are no cars in the city,