WeGO Marks Completion of Seoul Smart City Prize International Cooperation Program, Deepening Partnership with Addis Ababa and Expanding Engagement Across Africa
[Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 7-20 July 2026] — The World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO), together with its President City, the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG), and the Seoul Urban Solutions Agency (SUSA), concluded a four-day mission to Addis Ababa centered on the Final Dissemination Seminar of the 2025 Seoul Smart City Prize International Cooperation Program. The mission demonstrated how the Seoul Smart City Prize extends beyond recognition to deliver practical, long-term value through technical cooperation while also reinforcing WeGO’s strategic partnerships across the continent.
Following its recognition as the winner of the 2024 Seoul Smart City Prize, Addis Ababa was selected as the beneficiary of the 2025 Seoul Smart City Prize International Cooperation Program. Through the program, the Addis Ababa City Administration (AACA) received technical and financial support to implement the CAL-Addis Project, a feasibility study aimed at developing a prototype Mayor’s Dashboard for data-driven governance, benchmarked against the Smart Seoul View model.
As steward of the Prize, WeGO undertook on-site verification of the project’s outcomes, providing concrete evidence of the International Cooperation Program’s ability to help winning cities translate recognition into practical smart city solutions. The Final Dissemination Seminar showcased the successful completion of the feasibility study, including the Mayor’s Dashboard prototype and recommendations for future development. More importantly, the seminar demonstrated the strong commitment of both Korean and Ethiopian partners to sustaining long-term collaboration beyond the completion of the project.
For WeGO, the successful implementation of the CAL-Addis Project reinforces the Seoul Smart City Prize as not only a prestigious global award, but also a platform for meaningful international cooperation and capacity building.
Beyond its role in the International Cooperation Program, the mission advanced WeGO’s broader strategic objective of strengthening its presence across Africa through deeper institutional partnerships. In a dedicated bilateral meeting with AACA, WeGO recognized the city’s distinguished history as a founding member, former Vice President City, and EXCOM member, while encouraging its active participation in upcoming organizational initiatives. The WeGO delegation further met with Mr. Tilahun Worku Robi, Vice Mayor and Head of Cabinet Affairs, to share the outcomes of the Final Dissemination Seminar and open the door to further engagement at the highest levels of city leadership.
The mission also created new opportunities for regional collaboration through meetings with key partners, including the Ethiopian Cities Association (ECA), UNDP Ethiopia, and UN-Habitat Ethiopia. Discussions focused on expanding cooperation in city-to-city exchange, secondary city development, public-private partnerships, and knowledge sharing, laying the foundation for future joint initiatives and reinforcing WeGO’s role as a platform connecting African cities with global expertise and partners.
The mission represents an important step in WeGO’s long-term strategy to strengthen its engagement across Africa while demonstrating the growing impact of the Seoul Smart City Prize International Cooperation Program.
As WeGO prepares to convene the 7th WeGO General Assembly later this year, the strengthened partnership with Addis Ababa and the broader regional engagement position WeGO to play a greater role across Africa’s smart sustainable cities agenda in the years ahead.
About WeGO
The World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO), is a membership-based international association of local governments, smart tech solution providers, and institutions committed to the transformation of cities into smart sustainable cities through facilitating public-private partnerships (PPP). WeGO was founded by 50 member cities in 2010 as the World e-Governments Organization, hence our acronym. In response to the evolving concept of smart cities, WeGO expanded its vision and mandate at the 4th General Assembly (2017) and its name to the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization. WeGO’s Secretariat is based in Seoul, Korea, and has regional offices in East Asia (Chengdu, China), Africa (Abuja, Nigeria), Middle East & North Africa (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates), Latin America (Cuenca, Ecuador), and Central Asia (Almaty, Kazakhstan). As the leading platform on smart city development, WeGO’s mission is to share knowledge and good practices in e-Governance; strengthen administrative efficiency and transparency; advance digital capacity; facilitate civic involvement; bridge the digital divide and inequality; and promote cooperation solidarity among cities and local governments around the world.
WeGO serves for its members as their international platform to improve the quality of life, innovate in the delivery of public services, and strengthen regional competitiveness.
Press Contact:
Name: Natália Penhalves
E-mail: natalia@we-gov.org
Phone: +82-70-4202-9169