Inmarsat (LON: ISAT), in conjunction with Tillman Digital Cities and CivicConnect, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Smart Africa secretariat to accelerate the development and implementation of public-private partnerships (PPP) with the Smart Africa Alliance.
The Smart Africa Alliance is a partnership bringing together 22 African countries committed to the Smart Africa Manifesto and is supported by regional and global bodies including the African Union, the International Telecommunication Union, World Bank and The African Development Bank — Inmarsat was the first commercial company to join the Alliance, becoming a platinum member in 2016.
The MoU provides a framework of cooperation for all future negotiations for smart cities projects in the continent, and the Consortium members bring a significant amount of experience to the PPP meaning that they are uniquely positioned to drive the initiative forward.
Inmarsat has taken a leading role in supporting the objectives of Smart Africa and in May 2017, the company kicked off a 12-month, smart city proof of concept in the Rwandan capital of Kigali. The initiative supports a range of different Internet of Things (IoT) solutions linked by a LoRaWAN network. The flagship project provides a blueprint for smart city projects that can be deployed throughout Africa.
Tillman has significant experience in the financing, development and operation of national-scale infrastructure programs, and has led the buildout of much of the current mobile telecommunications infrastructure across Africa.
CivicConnect, meanwhile, specializes in platforms for the aggregation, management and dissemination of data, serving as the connectivity tissue for smart city infrastructure. Leveraging real-time data, the company enables citizens, governments and businesses to better engage with their city assets and the environment.
Commenting on the agreement, Rupert Pearce, CEO of Inmarsat, said: that Inmarsat is absolutely committed to the Smart Africa Alliance and this agreement signifies an important step towards accelerating the roll-out of smart cities across the continent. The smart city project the company has been engaged with in Kigali offers a glimpse of what IoT and other next-generation technologies can offer the African continent. The lessonsl earned during the pilot will be invaluable as the company, in conjunction with Tillman, CivicConnect and African governments, forge a path towards a more connected and digitally-enabled Africa.
Dr. Hamadoun Touré, Executive Director at Smart Africa, added that this Memorandum of Understanding toward a public private partnership between Smart Africa and the Consortium represents a significant step forward for this program. For the Consortium, the door has now been opened to the 22 markets of the member countries of the Smart Africa alliance. The members of the Consortium have a proven track record in delivering and supporting smart technologies and we look forward to working closely with them towards a more sustainable and productive future.
