It’s time for city to get Smart

OUR metro is ready for disruption and doing things differently.

Guest speaker Michael Jackson encouraged the Eastern Cape at the recent Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber annual meeting to wake up to its potential and rid itself of the labels of being small, poor and provincial.

In light of the General Motors announcement shortly thereafter, we realise that if we are to reach this potential, we need to find business opportunities and solutions within our control where we can drive our own destiny.

We have explored the benefits of Smart City. Now is time to get practical and ask the question – how can I contribute to make an impact? The key areas of impact are not only to establish it as an investorfriendly environment that attracts and retains top talent, but also to provide opportunities for business – from grassroots social enterprises to large corporate entities.

We invite you to join the Smart City movement. Let us know where your talents can add value.

Share your Smart City solutions with us as well as your needs.

We have identified work groups to engage all sectors.

Where do you want to be involved? You can fit into one of the following focus areas:

Planning and coordination;

Connectivity – all things IT;

Human Smart City – communication, leadership and stakeholder engagement;

e-Health – integrated health;

Smart government – improving the citizen experience through streamlined service;

Smart mobility – transport and logistics;

Smart infrastructure – buildings, infrastructure, water and electricity supply;

Smart agriculture – urban and peri-urban;

Smart tourism – creating Port Elizabeth as a Smart tourism destination;

Public procurement – streamlining procurement; and

Industry 4.0 – using the internet to integrate solutions.

Now is the time to gather the necessary research to create an integrated Smart City strategy with key stakeholders.

We urge you to register with the Regional Innovation Forum. Become an active participant in the Smart City conversation on its Facebook page and the Smart City Forum.

We invite the government, industry, supply chain and the community to highlight needs, solutions, offer expertise and suggest areas of collaboration.

Smart City starts with disrupting the status quo.

Jackson sums it up: “If you aren’t disrupting your industry, your company and your city, you are simply stagnating.

“We are not living in an era of change, but a change of era. This requires massive new thought and action.” So PE – let’s get SMART.

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