Smart City Governance in Southern Africa: A Review

As the wave of digital transformation sweeps across the globe, the concept of the “smart city” stands out as a beacon of promise and potential, particularly in regions grappling with rapid urbanization and socio-economic complexities. A compelling new study meticulously unpacks the current landscape of smart city governance within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), shining a much-needed spotlight on the distinctive challenges and opportunities in this fast-evolving arena. By cross-examining a wealth of academic works alongside critical policy documents and implementation reports, this comprehensive review brings to life the nuanced interplay between urban dynamics and technology-mediated governance in Southern Africa.

The paper begins by acknowledging the delicate tension between rapid urban growth and the drive towards digital modernity. Southern Africa’s cities are vibrant, evolving spaces where traditional governance structures often intersect awkwardly with the ambitions of ‘smart’ infrastructures. Unlike reviews confined to pure academic discourse, this study’s inclusion of policy artifacts provides a richer, multidimensional lens through which to understand how smart city narratives translate (or fail to translate) into tangible outcomes on the ground. The breadth of sources reflects the inherently interdisciplinary and applied nature of smart city development, where technology, governance, and social equity intertwine in complex ways.

Central to the study’s analysis are five thematic pillars that crystallize the dominant currents in smart city literature and practice within the SADC context. The first revolves around the social development promises embedded in the smart city paradigm. Here, the literature reveals a strong discourse on how digital technologies can be harnessed to improve quality of life, alleviate poverty, and bridge infrastructural deficits. Yet, the review also underscores the cautionary voices that warn against technological determinism—the assumption that digital solutions alone can resolve deeply rooted socio-economic challenges without concurrent institutional reforms.

Institutionalizing smart city governance emerges as the second theme, highlighting the imperative for adaptive, yet accountable governance structures. The evidence suggests that successful smart city initiatives rely on governance frameworks that are not only technologically savvy but are also locally attuned and inclusive. Many SADC countries are at various stages of formalizing such structures, with some pioneering integrated policies aimed at aligning digital infrastructure projects with broader developmental goals. Yet, policy fragmentation and capacity gaps reveal that much work remains to institutionalize governance mechanisms that can sustain smart city ambitions.

Digital citizenship—a critical third theme—throws into sharp relief the evolving relationship between urban residents and their digital environments. The study paints a picture of citizens whose participation levels and digital literacy vary widely across the region, influencing how ‘smartness’ is experienced. Access disparities, privacy concerns, and questions of digital rights form core parts of this discourse. Moreover, the review emphasizes that digital citizenship is not merely about access to technology but encompasses the empowerment to participate meaningfully in decision-making processes related to smart city deployments.

The fourth theme tackles infrastructure, positioning it not simply as physical hardware but as a socio-technical ecosystem. The review exposes how discussions are moving beyond circuits and sensors to encompass the ways infrastructure shapes and is shaped by social dynamics. This macro perspective reveals challenges around interoperability of systems, maintenance, and sustainability—particularly in contexts where resources are constrained. The forms of infrastructure prioritized often reflect deeper policy choices about inclusion, urban planning, and economic positioning within the digital economy.

Finally, the study exposes diverse approaches towards ‘smarting’ the city—the multifaceted strategies through which digital transformation is pursued. These range from incremental upgrades of existing services to ambitious, city-wide innovation programs. The plurality of approaches reflects the uneven pace and scale of digital adoption across SADC’s urban centers. Importantly, the review argues that ‘smarting’ the city cannot be a one-size-fits-all process but must be meaningfully attuned to localized contexts that reflect social, cultural, and governance realities.

This comprehensive review is particularly notable for its call to deepen the focus on the impacts of digitalization and datafication. While much discourse highlights the promise of data-driven decision-making and real-time monitoring, less is understood about the socio-political ramifications of these processes in Southern African cities. Emerging concerns include data sovereignty, surveillance, political accountability, and the ways digital infrastructures might reinforce existing inequalities rather than ameliorate them.

The authors also urge a recalibration of research agendas towards governance-oriented frameworks with a local lens. This is a crucial insight for researchers and practitioners alike, as it highlights the limitations of techno-centric models divorced from contextual realities. For the SADC region, where resources, infrastructural legacies, and governance capacities vary widely, prescriptive models of smart city development rooted in Western or global North paradigms often lack relevance or applicability.

Moreover, the study draws attention to how smart city projects often operate within complex webs of institutional actors—ranging from municipal governments and private tech firms to community organizations and international donors. Understanding these actor constellations and their power dynamics becomes essential for crafting equitable smart city interventions. The research underscores that governance in this space is as much about negotiation, coalition-building, and conflict resolution as it is about technological deployment.

Equally significant is the notion that smart city infrastructures must be conceptualized as living entities embedded in social worlds rather than isolated technological artifacts. This perspective invites a deeper interrogation of urban political economy, infrastructural justice, and the potential for digital technologies to either reinforce or disrupt status quo power structures. It also opens avenues for imagining smart cities that prioritize resilience, sustainability, and social inclusion.

The systematic review, by bridging academic inquiry and policy analysis, accomplishes a dual enrichment: contributing to scholarly debates while offering actionable insights for policymakers and urban planners. For the SADC community, this means the possibility of cultivating smart city projects that are not only innovative but also deeply responsive to the needs and aspirations of their urban residents.

In conclusion, this state-of-the-art review paints a picture of southern African smart city governance as a dynamic, contested, and evolving field. The promise of technology-mediated urban development is tempered by the region’s socio-political complexities and infrastructural limitations. However, with thoughtful governance frameworks, inclusive digital citizenship, and a nuanced understanding of infrastructure as social-technical ecosystems, the potential for transformative impact remains compelling.

This research arrives at a pivotal moment as cities worldwide grapple with the fallout of climate change, economic inequality, and rapid urbanization—challenges acutely pronounced in Southern Africa. By advocating for governance models that are reflexive, localized, and equity-driven, the study charts a pathway toward smarter, fairer urban futures that are not merely transplanted from elsewhere, but organically grown from the region’s unique contexts.

As the digital revolution continues to ripple through urban landscapes, this review substantiates the urgent need for scholarship and policy to converge in crafting smart cities that not only consume technology but reclaim it in service of democratic, inclusive, and sustainable urban life. For Southern Africa, this is more than a research agenda—it is a call to action for cities where smart governance can become a catalyst for genuine transformation.

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Subject of Research: Smart city governance and urban digital transformation in the Southern African Development Community region.

Article Title: A systematic review of smart city governance in the Southern African Development Community.

Article References:

Duca, F., Mutua, A., Tetley-Brown, L. et al. A systematic review of smart city governance in the Southern African Development Community.
Nat Cities 2, 149–156 (2025).

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI:

Tags: critical analysis of smart city narrativesdigital modernity in African citiesdigital transformation in urban areasinterdisciplinary approach to smart citiespolicy documents on smart governancesmart city challenges in SADCsmart city governance Southern Africasocial equity in smart city developmentsocio-economic complexities in Southern Africatechnology-mediated urban governanceurban dynamics and infrastructureurbanization and technology integration

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