Nations are increasingly discussing and adopting the concept of smart cities – cities, which balance investments in human and social capital, traditional and modern communication infrastructure, as well as energy, sustainable economic development, high quality of life, and efficient management of natural resources, through participatory action and engagement.
The Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu at the 2017 Smart Cities Nigeria Summit in Abuja said that Nigeria needs smart cities that will link infrastructure and innovation to make cities more efficient, safer and conducive for all citizens. The Minister then called on all stakeholders to plan and prepare towards having a smart city to scale up Nigeria’s IT innovations and link physical infrastructure to deliver business and for public benefit.
Nigeria is fortunate to have a booming construction and engineering industry as well as Information technology industry. This means that we can fully harness the benefits of a smart city.
According to Abass Haidar, ITB Nigeria Ltd, the opportunities for investments in smart cities in Nigeria are tremendous, and we can already see investments in this area. For instance, ITB Nigeria Ltd is working on creating a smart city with the Eko Atlantic City Project in Victoria Island. Investors in the project are attracted by the promise of a smart city with modern and efficient infrastructure. When undergoing building projects, it is important that clients use construction companies that have the technology and expertise to construct sustainable buildings that will into a smart society.
A smart city is one that is efficient and functional such that humans can reside in it and have their social, economic, physical and total well being satisfied with less complication in all respect to living conditions and utilizes digital technology to improve day to day transactions. Smart City initiatives can help reduce the limitations of traditional urban development that tends to manage urban infrastructure systems in silos and address the growing global urban population.
