Final call for Africa mobility projects

UK firms have until 21 August to pitch ideas for challenges in South Africa and Kenya
UTC / August 7, 2020
By Adam Hill
ID 155422175 © Michael Turner | Dreamstime.com
Johannesburg: urban transport challenges (© Michael Turner | Dreamstime.com)

UK companies are being invited to address urban challenges - including transport - in South Africa and Kenya in a programme from Connected Places Catapult.

Urban Links Africa (ULA) aims to bring together Kenyan, South African and UK tech ecosystems "through equitable partnerships, collaboration and long-term investment in order to improve citizens’ lives".

Companies are invited to submit ideas to improve urban mobility in Johannesburg, South Africa, and to work on traffic management and active mobility in the Kenyan cities of Mombasa, Nairobi and Kisumu. 

The ULA open call is on until 21 August, with an emphasis on the formation of consortia to address problems.

Nadia Echchihab, global commercial team lead, Connected Places Catapult, told ITS International: "Every day we have new people signing up to the platform to submit an application and we're still helping them to find the right match."

Successful partnerships are eligible to receive up to £25,000 for ideas and up to £40,000 for more mature projects.

As travel is restricted by the coronavirus pandemic, Echchihab adds: "All the solutions development phase will happen remotely via the collaboration platform, so this is why we have really invested in it - it's not just a boring website." 

Tools are available to facilitate collaboration and brainstorming, she says.

Click here for more information and to sign up until 21 August.

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