#BizTrends2017: Developing Africa's future cities

Cities are "smart" when infrastructure, urban assets, public services, human and social capital, mobility systems and other forces are improved and optimised under ICT. The important benefit is higher economic growth, better quality of life for citizens and a more responsible form of stewardship over natural resources. However, the creation of such futuristic cosmopolitan utopias is often complex because of variables and variances in development levels, resource availability, technological infrastructure, innovation, cultural systems and issues such as the digital divide. While other non-African nations are successful in building future cities, their templates cannot simply be cast over the cities of this continent, each with its own unique set of challenges, opportunities, urban development maps, and local economic development plans.