Three African cities have won IBM Smarter Cities Challenge grants.

IBM will this year be helping at least 16 cities and counties around the world to address issues ranging from clean water, healthy food, and revenue generation, to job development, efficient transportation, and public safety. The recipients of IBM’s Smarter Cities Challenge for 2014, a competitive grant program, will host teams of some of IBM’s most talented experts who will provide expertise on the most critical issues faced by communities today.

Abuja in Nigeria, Durban in South Africa and Mombasa County in Kenya are recipients of the 2014 grants. IBM will work with municipalities that seek its input on projects such as improving transportation options by connecting roads, bike paths, sidewalks and rails; protecting the environment with better water quality; collecting revenue, lowering costs and managing budgets more efficiently; and harnessing the sun and converting waste products into electrical energy.

IBM teams will invest months studying a local issue chosen by each winning municipality. They then spend three weeks on the ground in the region gathering and analysing all relevant data and reports, while meeting with dozens of members of the government, public, business, and not-for-profit communities. This allows them to gather diverse perspectives about the factors involved and potential solutions to the opportunity at hand. At the conclusion of these studies, IBM presents comprehensive recommendations for addressing the issue in line with recognised best practices. This is followed weeks later by a more detailed, written plan for its implementation.

Given that effective local governance today relies on the coordination of multiple municipalities, IBM made regional governments eligible for the grant program this year, not just cities. With the previous participation of 100 cities, the Smarter Cities Challenge program now also offers winning municipalities access to fellow leaders with whom they can consult on similar issues.

The following cities and regions are winners of the IBM Smarter Cities Challenge grants for 2014:

• Abuja, Nigeria
• Ballarat, Australia
• Baton Rouge, United States
• Birmingham, United States
• Brussels, Belgium
• Dallas, United States
• Dublin, Ireland
• Durban, South Africa
• Jinan, China
• Mombasa County, Kenya
• Niigata, Japan
• Perth, Australia
• Suffolk County, United States
• Tainan, Taiwan
• Vilnius, Lithuania
• Zapopan, Mexico