Is smart city a vector of sustainable city ? Case of African cities

Abstract

The use of new information and communication technologies is increasingly seen as an essential lever to make the African city smart and sustainable. The research hypothesis is that the smart city is an urban model that can create a sustainable city in Africa. The methodology is based on a principal component analysis based on data on new information and communication technologies and sustainable cities in African countries. The results obtained verify the research hypothesis. Indicators of information and communication technologies are correlated with those of city sustainability and inversely correlated with those that represent the lack of sustainability such as slums. The results also show a contrasting continent-wide situation in terms of smart and sustainable cities. In fact, the coastal countries of North Africa, Western and Southern Africa have the best indicators, unlike those located in the interior of the continent and in East Africa. The first group of countries have the highest percentages of urban populations and the lowest annual urban growth rates. Indeed, they suffer less from the social, economic and environmental constraints related to rapid population growth. On the transition to new technologies, those that penetrate the best in African cities are less sophisticated and cheaper like mobile telephony, unlike high-tech such as broadband internet or fixed telephone line.