WeGO EXCOM Meeting 2022 hosted by Kampala City, Uganda

The WeGO Executive Committee (EXCOM) is an annual statutory conference of the advisory board and members presented in a host city to review the Secretariat’s activities, accomplishments and decide on the future key agenda guiding WeGO’s direction.

This year’s EXCOM was hosted by one of WeGO’s honorable members, Kampala, with the theme of “Resilience in the Face of Adversity: Smart Cities as Engines for Social Economic Transformation” on November 1, 2022 with a presence of a 130 live participants from 34 countries around the globe.

As Africa signifies the emergence of developing countries, EXCOM 2022 was marked as a step further towards African smart city development. Hosted by a city in Africa for the first time by Kampala, Uganda’s green capital, WeGO’s members and partners from different cities around the globe convened to discuss and decide on key agendas that will shape the future of smart cities. WeGO’s efforts to vitalize smart cities in the African region continues to be in motion through Kampala. 

Highlights of the event was the Africa Smart Cities Network (AfSCN) session, which is WeGO’s regional network of cities and other local governments across Africa that serves to exchange knowledge and foster cooperation on smart city development. AfSCN encouraged all smart city stakeholders to open a dialogue on the topic of “Addressing Socio-economic Inequalities through the Use of Data and Technology” covering customization of smart product development, systematic digitalization, smart city project cases in Kampala, and the issues of the digital gap and future AfSCN initiatives. 

“The cities will be interested in taking this comprehensive research in the area of social economic inclusion and impact of digital application going forward.” said Martin Ssekajja, Smart City Expert from Kampala City Capital Authority. Martin Onyach-Olaa, Senior Urban Specialist from the World Bank illustrated the necessity of cities to have accessible data for better decision-making. Angelina Khodotova, International Project Manager from SRPOST, talked about the proper project implementation approach exemplifying the case of intelligent parking systems. And Abdinassir Shale Sagar, Associate Program Officer from UN-Habitat presented about the constraints of systematic digitalization in Africa for smart city initiatives.  

In moving forward, WeGO’s nine agendas were approved by EXCOM members including next year’s plans and budget. Also, ten new members were welcomed on board including three local governments, five corporations and two institutions*. WeGO will focus on consolidating existing members and seek far-reaching collaboration with the new members. To implement this objective, the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework initiative was authorized for engagement in a variety of new partnership activities. 

Across the board, the collective decision was made for Seoul to be selected to host the 6th WeGO General Assembly in 2023. The Director General, Hae Kyeong Lee of Seoul Metropolitan Government honored the opportunity and said, “Dating back to our inaugural General Assembly held in Seoul, in 2010, I believe this 6th WeGO General Assembly in Seoul next year can be a milestone to revitalize our long friendship and re-confirm our commitment to work together in bringing smart sustainable cities for all”.

WeGO’s Secretary General, Jung Sook Park gave the opening remarks stating, “…For the upcoming year, I propose that we address the digital divide between cities and among citizens, overcome the digital marginalization, and bring our voices together to make cities more inclusive for the vulnerable.” 

*Cuenca from Ecuador, Cusco from Peru, Urubamba from Peru, Dohwa Engineering, Dwelling Co.,Ltd, Hienergy Codex, MetaTheater, Youngshin Components Co.,Ltd. Korea Green Foundation and Seoul Tourism Organization

About WeGO

The World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO), established by 50 founding members in 2010, is an international association of city and other local governments, smart tech solution providers, and national and regional institutions committed to the transformation of cities into smart sustainable cities WeGO’s Secretariat is based in Seoul and supported by regional offices in Africa (Abuja, Nigeria), East Asia (Chengdu, China), Eurasia (Ulyanovsk Region, Russia), the Mediterranean (Beyoğlu, Turkey), and Latin America (Mexico City, Mexico).

WeGO has more than 200 members around the world and serves as their international platform to improve the quality of life, innovate in the delivery of public services, and strengthen regional competitiveness.

Press Contact:
Name: Jin Hwang
E-mail: jin.hwang@we-gov.org
Phone: 070-4209-9154