Wike showcases Abuja’s smart city drive at global mayors’ forum
Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), says Abuja’s smart city vision is being powered by strategic investments in urban mobility, sustainability, public safety, digital governance, and economic empowerment.
Wike spoke on Tuesday while addressing global mayors and city leaders at the 2025 Asia Pacific Cities summit and mayors’ forum in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
He said Abuja is working closely with international partners and private investors to accelerate innovation, citing ongoing projects such as the smart water metering initiative with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Chinese-backed intelligent traffic lights, the Abuja city walk, and the Abuja Industrial Park.
“These efforts reflect our commitment to leveraging public-private partnerships and city-to-city exchanges to drive progress,” he said.
Earlier, Wike met with Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, the UAE minister of state for international cooperation, who also oversees the political affairs office of the UAE vice-president and prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
According to a statement by Lere Olayinka, Wike’s senior special assistant on public communications and social media, the FCT minister underscored Abuja’s unique status as a “purpose-built and ever-evolving capital with a clear master plan anchored on service delivery to citizens.”
Highlighting President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda, Wike explained that Abuja’s smart city vision covers urban mobility, which includes expansion of transport networks, intelligent traffic systems, and public transport solutions.
Others are sustainability, which involves renewable energy adoption and waste-to-wealth projects and public safety, that focuses on smart streetlights, CCTV surveillance, and emergency response systems.
The minister also listed digital governance, citing platforms like the FCT call centre and a digitised land registry as well economic empowerment, that includes job creation and attraction of tech companies.
Wike also noted the importance of data-driven governance, pointing to the upcoming national employment database being developed with global partners to match skills with job opportunities and support entrepreneurship through the Abuja Enterprise Agency.
“Abuja’s transformation into a smart and sustainable city is not just about technology,” he said. “It’s about placing citizens at the centre of development — building a safer, more inclusive, and prosperous environment for all.”
