Applications For Smart Cities Innovation Programme Opens
The Rwandan government is inviting African tech startups working in mobility, housing, or fintech to apply for the Smart Cities Innovation Accelerator Programme (SCIP).
The SCIP program aims to promote the growth of digital urban technologies in Rwanda and other African countries, with an emphasis on Africa’s urban transformation in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. According to statistics, Africa has the highest rate of urbanisation in the world, with 50 percent of Africans expected to live in cities by 2030.
The World Bank views this rapid urbanisation as untapped potential for the continent in terms of economic growth and poverty reduction.
Thirty startups will be selected to take part in the prestigious programme and will be divided into three different sectors; Smart Mobility, Smart Housing, and Fintech for Affordability.
During the six-month remotely held programme, participating startups will be provided one-on-one mentorship, training, exposure to network, and connecting with international business partners and potential investors such as Volkswagen, Siemens, and the African Business Angels Network (ABAN).
Participating startups will be able to utilise Green City Kigali, Rwanda’s flagship smart city project as a sandbox to test their innovative solutions and enter the Rwandan market.
The SCIP Accelerator will take place virtually over six months, from June until December 2021, and includes demo days held in Kigali during September.
Requirements
The following requirements apply to interested applicants for the programme;
Startups must have already launched their tech-enabled product or service in the African market
The startup must have existing customers
The startup must be within the following sectors; mobility, housing, or fintech
High growth potential
Job creation potential
Positive social or environmental impact.
“They should also have a high growth and job creation potential, as well as a positive social and/or environmental impact. Finally, start-ups from Rwanda and/or with female members in management are preferred at equal qualification,” SCIP said in the statement.
Applications must be submitted online and applications close on May 9 2021.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit additional information about their startup and participate in an interview.
SCIP is a joint project of the Special Initiative on Training and Job Creation and the Tech-Entrepreneurship Initiative ‘Make-IT in Africa’. Both initiatives are implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The implementation of SCIP is supported by Luvent Consulting, MEST, and AfriLabs.
Source: https://ventureburn.com/2021/04/applications-for-smart-cities-innovation-programme-opens/
