Kigali-Barcelona:
Facilitating Economic Innovation

We catalyzed the cooperation agreement between both cities, helping Barcelona establish a new global partner for sharing its successful experiences and enabling Kigali to learn about Barcelona’s best practices in job creation and professional empowerment to enrich its city strategy.

The challenge

In an increasingly interconnected world, promoting innovation, sustainability, and inclusivity is a shared goal for many cities, and one of the keys to success lies in knowledge-sharing among them. In 2019, Barcelona Activa, the department of the Barcelona City Council dedicated to fostering innovation and economic growth, forged a strategic partnership with the City Council of Kigali, the vibrant capital of Rwanda. Their collective mission was clear: to catalyze collaboration and drive forward social and economic innovation projects. In addition, Kigali, with a strategic vision to ascend as the epicenter of urban excellence in Africa, eagerly sought to draw inspiration from Barcelona’s renowned economic and job-creation projects.

Anteverti´s support

Recognizing our expertise in innovation and deep knowledge of Barcelona and Smart Cities development in Africa, Barcelona Activa enlisted Anteverti’s support to coordinate and facilitate the activities arising from this partnership. Our role included organizing and coordinating the agendas for Kigali’s delegation during their visits to Barcelona and vice versa. We also assisted in arranging working sessions for the Kigali delegation in Barcelona, focusing on knowledge exchange in areas such as entrepreneurship, job creation, gender equality, and efficient management.

The impact

The collaboration between Barcelona and Kigali has not only enhanced knowledge-sharing but also provided Barcelona with a new international strategic partner for sharing visions and strategies and transferring successful, inclusive, and diverse models among cities. In turn, Kigali gained first-hand knowledge that can be adapted and implemented in its local context from Barcelona’s initiatives, including the Innovation District 22@, and projects that stimulate the economic empowerment of citizens and businesses, such as Barcelona’s Center for Social and Economic Innovation, innoBA, and Cibernàrium, its technology training center for citizens.