Exploring the promises, pitfalls, and possibilities of technology-driven cities.

Story

“Not too long ago, I was standing on a pedestrian bridge in Accra, watching the city pulse beneath me — taxis weaving in and out, street hawkers darting between cars, digital billboards flashing bright against the dusk. A friend beside me pointed to the new overhead cameras and said, ‘Give it a few years, this place will be a smart city.’

I laughed, partly in excitement and partly in doubt. Because I’d seen the glossy presentations — futuristic cities where traffic flows without jams, buildings talk to each other, and streetlights save energy by sensing when no one’s around. But I’d also seen reality: potholes that eat your tyres, traffic lights that go off when the power cuts, and data systems that don’t always connect.

This episode isn’t just about the dream — it’s about the gap between the dream and the doing. We’ll talk to urban planners, tech experts, and everyday citizens to ask: are smart cities really the future, or just a buzzword for funding proposals? And most importantly, what would a truly ‘smart’ Accra, Kumasi, or Lagos even look like for the people who live there?”