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Applications have opened for the Smart Cities Innovation Programme (SCIP), aimed at accelerating 30 African tech startups in the fields of mobility, housing and fintech to shape the “African cities of tomorrow”.

The SCIP is a joint project of the Special Initiative on Training and Job Creation and “Make-IT in Africa“, which are both implemented by the GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. It is supported by the Rwandan government.

The six-month accelerator is aimed at supporting high-potential tech startups operating in the field of Smart Cities. It is divided into three tracks – Smart Mobility, Smart Housing, and Fintech for Affordability – supporting 10 startups each.

Selected startups will benefit from individual mentoring, training as well as intensive networking and matchmaking with international business partners and investors. SCIP is implemented in partnership with various partners Volkswagen, Siemens, and the African Business Angels Network (ABAN) among others to bring in highly specialised technical expertise and to build the start-ups’ networks.

Startups will also be able to use Green City Kigali, Rwanda’s flagship smart city project, as a real application case to test their solutions and enter the Rwandan market. The programme will culminate in demo days organized in Kigali at the end of September. Applications are open until May 9.

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