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Applications are now open for the Smart Cities Innovation Program (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. The two initiatives are both implemented by the GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, supported by the Rwandan government.

Make it in Africa is present in 28 African countries. The initiative has supported about 468 tech startups, and 31 mentorships. The initiative prides itself in promoting digital innovation for sustainable and inclusive development.

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 specialized technical expertise and to build the start-ups’ networks.

Selected startups will also be able to use Green City Kigali, Rwanda’s flagship smart city project. This will help them to be a real application case to test their solutions and enter the Rwandan market. The program will culminate in demo days organized in Kigali at the end of September, 2021.

Applications are open until May 9, 2021.