A practical guide for local authorities embarking on a digital transformation journey
A practical guide for local authorities and those interested in city-level innovation. It offers a way to think about approaching digital transition in your city and includes a range of activities and associated tools you can use to conduct the activity. Where possible, we’ve included an example of how the tool was used by practitioners from the ASToN network.
If you are reading this, chances are you are interested in digital transformation in local government. You might be someone working in a local authority or a funder interested in how to use digital tools to build sustainable and inclusive cities. This handbook was developed by the African Smart Towns Network (ASToN) following our flagship programme 2019 - 2022.
ASToN brought together 11 African cities into a network aimed at developing digital practices and creating sustainable & inclusive cities. This is a practical guide of the approach we have taken in the ASToN programme. We have drawn on, and built on, many frameworks and guides that already exist, and we have referenced these throughout the document. Our hope is that this handbook can prove useful for other local authorities and those interested in city-level innovation. It should be used to provide inspiration, rather than something that must be followed to the letter. We recognise that each city is different and needs slightly different things. The network was based in Africa but the approach we believe is more universal than that. The document is split into three sections; Explore, Engage and Experiment. These sections offer a way to think about approaching digital transition in your city and include a range of activities and associated tools you can use to conduct the activity. Where possible, we’ve included an example of how the tool was used by practitioners from the ASToN network. These sections aren’t necessarily linear but overlap and interconnect. While the activities, tools and methods shared here are largely drawn from digital best practice, they can be applied and used in projects across any domain, including non-digital projects.
ASToN Network
ASToN represents a network of 11 cities in 11 African countries, all focusing on advancing their digital transition to become more inclusive and resilient. Convinced that digital tools can be a means to change, the cities embarked on a three-year learning journey to build sustainable solutions for their citizens.
ASToN pilot programme run between 2019 and 2022 and gave local authorities in each of the 11 cities a framework to test and build a roadmap for digital transformation. This included an experimentation phase where each local team tried possible solutions, collecting data and insights to identify successful – and unsuccessful – approaches, and gain a better understanding of how to scale up their ideas and improve their work. In this way, ASToN acted as a catalyst for lasting change, providing a foundation for cities to continue learning and improving their own digital solutions.
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