The ideas competition “Smart-City – Beach-2025 – a City with a Smile”, which was launched by the city council, praiense, in partnership with the Group, Lois, Engineering, and the Association of Young Entrepreneurs of Cape Verde (AJEC) has received 60 applications.

The information was provided by the president of Grupo Loide Engenharia, Loide Monteiro, on the sidelines of a workshop “Smart City – Praia 2025 – Cidade com Sorriso”, held this Friday in Cidade da Praia. “The workshop is the second phase of the Praia Smarty City competition. We closed the application on June 26”, said Loide Monteiro, explaining that the objective was to meet the candidates, see the ideas and work on them, and then allow time for the preparation of the final project, before being submitted for evaluation. . The president of Loide Engenharia also said that applications were received for 60 ideas sent by 50 candidates, of which 44 are male and six female. After this workshop, explained the same source, candidates will have three months to work and structure the ideas and present the final project. Afterwards, there will be a period of 30 days for the elements of the jury to make the selection.

Loide Monteiro also stated that the idea is to have nine winners, who will be known at the end of next October. It is intended, according to Loide Monteiro, that the next step is the incubation of ideas that win. “It would be to transform them into a “Start-Up” and then have these products implemented in the intelligent urbanization that we want to do”, he concluded. On the other hand, the councilor of Urbanism of the City Council of Praia, Rafael Fernandes, observed that Smarty City means “make something easy for people and institutions”. “Shortening paths, making citizens closer to institutions, both public and private, within a territory”, pointed out the mayor, noting that there are several ideas that are intended to be implemented, in terms of public transport, for example. Rafael Fernandes concluded by stating that, at the moment, there is no budget because the project is in its embryonic stage. “It will have a cost, but the return will be much greater than the investment”, he defended.