The Role of Public Sector in Nurturing Smart Citizenship
Written by Mpho Matsitse, the Executive of Business & Digital Advisory at BCX, this article discusses the crucial role of the public sector in fostering smart citizenship within smart cities.
When envisioning the cities of tomorrow, it’s easy to get caught up in the technology-driven innovations that promise a modern, intelligently designed, and sustainable utopia. While state-of-the-art technology is undoubtedly a crucial aspect of smart cities, using it to improve essential services and reduce costs is only the first step. At the heart of any city are its inhabitants, and for digital citizenship to work, people must understand what’s going on.
Smart citizenship is especially critical given that half of the world’s population lives in cities, a number expected to double by 2050. In Africa, this presents an opportunity to understand the public sector’s role in building and maintaining smart cities that foster smart citizenship. Government agencies must provide essential services, ensure data privacy and security, and promote transparency.
Smart cities can be built from scratch or transform existing cities, each with its challenges and opportunities. While greenfield smart cities can drive significant investment opportunities, brownfield smart cities offer a more sustainable approach. For example, Eko Atlantic, a new coastal megacity being built in Lagos, Nigeria, has been criticised for being brownfield. Although climate-friendly, there’s a need to invest in Nigeria’s current cities where many live below the poverty line.
To flourish, a smart city needs smart citizens. Involving residents in planning and development helps shape the city around their needs. Social media can help gauge community concerns, and civic-led responsibility fosters a sense of community engagement, lower crime rates, and healthier, happier citizens. The government must think differently about delivering services to citizens and recognise that every city is unique and requires specific solutions.
A smart city is not just about technology; it’s an ecosystem that relies on support from the public sector, meaningful public-private relationships, and a citizenship-centric approach. Sometimes, digitisation may not be the best solution for service delivery problems. Smart citizenship is about empowering and engaging communities alongside the public sector to ensure technological advancements benefit inhabitants. Ultimately, getting the right data to the right people at the right time will solve complex urban issues in the long run.