Kigali Innovation City

Kigali Innovation City (KIC), with strong support from the Government of Rwanda and Africa50, is at the core of Rwanda’s vision to become a Pan-African hub for tech and innovation. The project is a joint venture to co-develop and co-finance with private sector investors. KIC is building a supportive and connected ecosystem with a concentration of game-changing startups, innovative companies, financial investors, academia, and support services that facilitate the creation and commercialization of new ideas. KIC is developing a 61.9-hectare mixed-use development that integrates universities, offices, residential housing, retail facilities, and a hotel in a smart and environmentally-conscious manner. 

KIC will provide supportive and accessible innovation infrastructure, including an incubator and office space, for technological firms across various stages of growth within the Special Economic Zone providing additional opportunities for synergies in IoT technologies.

A community of four world-class learning institutions is core to Kigali Innovation City because local universities and research organizations play a key role in building the technology ecosystem by providing access to highly-skilled and diverse talent from across Africa. These institutions provide a pipeline of talent as well as entrepreneurial ventures for the ecosystem to support and accelerate the digital economy including various digital transformation efforts by the government and private sector. Co-locating academia, government institutions, tech / tech-enabled companies of all sizes, private sector, and entrepreneurs will not only enhance formal and informal networks in order to build community, but also collaboration across different actors including knowledge and tech transfer from international tertiary institutions and companies.

CMU-Africa at Kigali Innovation City

CMU-Africa sits on 6,000 square meters and can accommodate up to 300 graduate students. It has twice as many labs as its previous location, more specialized and inclusive facilities, and modern technology to enable distance education and teleconferencing. Students, faculty, and staff at the institution enjoy spacious offices and classrooms, as well as an outdoor amphitheater to host graduation and social events.

CMU-Africa is the first center of excellence to be located in Kigali Innovation City, whose goal is to drive Rwanda’s economic growth through digital transformation. With a major focus on the continent’s emerging knowledge-based economy, CMU-Africa’s graduate programs are educating future leaders who will use their hands-on, experiential learning to advance technology innovation and grow the businesses that will transform Africa.

The Kigali Innovation City is home to large corporations and technology companies making CMU-Africa's location strategic as it provides students the opportunity to interact directly with these industries around them.