A smart city is to be built from the ground up in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kinshasa, to boost economic development within the East African Community (EAC).
A Kenyan financial consultancy has been chosen to be the lead consultancy in the construction of the Kasangulu Smart City.
It will cover 40 hectares of prime land and will accommodate multi-storey houses, a Level 4 hospital, school, train station, water theme park, malls, shopping centres, hotel, clubhouses, a lake, an artificial beach and an array of other essential facilities.
Investors from the East African Community and citizens from the region have been urged to invest across the region to boost integration and development of infrastructure in the EAC federation to promote trade and investment within the bloc with an eye on the future technology requirements of successful cities and countries in global competitiveness.
Speaking in Kinshasa during the official unveiling of the project, MC Telecom chairman, Sam Yongo, appealed to East African citizens to invest across the borders to boost integration and socioeconomic development in the region that comprises seven countries.
"This is an initiative that can bring us together as the East African Community since we no longer have barriers of movement between our nations," Yongo said.
He further projected a population surge in the EAC region, especially in urban areas, necessitating the construction of more houses and facilities for the growing population.
According to the EAC, the total population of the region is projected to increase to 500 million people by 2043 from the current estimated 300 million citizens, with over 30% comprising urban population. The DR Congo accounts for 31% of the population of the East African Community.
"This is the first smart city in the DRC and the project presents the opportunity to champion a first-of-its-kind smart-gated city away from heavy traffic and pollution, while simultaneously delivering quality and affordable housing for the middle and upper classes of the country," added Yongo.
He said the project was marked for completion in 2027.
