Doha: President Kagame is in Doha, Qatar, where he is expected to attend the 5th Qatar IT Conference and Exhibition (QITCOM 2019) hosted by the Qatar Ministry of Transport and Communication, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar.
Themed “Safe Smart Cities”, QITCOM 2019 features an edition of the Smart City Expo in partnership with Fira Barcelona, the organizer of the international benchmark event, Smart City Expo World Congress.
Attended by over 300 technology exhibitors, 100 startups and 300 innovators and entrepreneurs, the gathering is a one-stop-shop for participants to showcase disruptive smart technologies and exchange next-generation knowledge.
Rwandan companies participating in the exhibition include AC Group, Ampersand, BSC, Irembo, Pascal Technology, QT Software and a youth-led recycling start-up called Wastezon.
This is Rwanda’s first time participating in QITCOM.
Key Facts:
1. 65% of the world’s population will live in cities by 2040 (WEF).
2. Rwanda’s National Strategy for Transformation (NST1) sets a target of 35% urbanisation by 2024, up from 18.4% in 2017.
3. Rwanda has a high annual urbanisation rate of around 6% (compared to 4% for Sub-Saharan Africa and 2% globally).
4. Rwanda spearheads Smart Africa’s Smart Cities Flagship Program, which provides guidelines for African governments to integrate technology into urban planning.
5. Technological applications in Rwandan cities include CCTV camera for public safety, tap-and-go payment and wi-fi on public transport, Irembo, and e-recruitment for public service. (End)