It is a fast-growing center that offers an environment conducive to innovation, education, and technology. With its modern infrastructure and advanced technologies, Sèmè City is an attractive destination for entrepreneurs, investors, and students.

Sèmè City, located in Benin, is a smart city that aims to become a regional center of excellence in higher education, research, innovation, and economic development.

It was launched, in 2017, by the Beninese government and is being implemented by the Sèmè City Development Agency (ADSC), headed by Claude Borna, an experienced tech and marketing professional. The city is equipped with modern infrastructure, including research laboratories, innovation centers, coworking spaces, conference rooms, housing for students and researchers, and sports and cultural facilities.

Its proposed campus is still under construction but, the city currently operates from four sites. The first site, Sèmè One, is a modern and intelligent campus that includes classrooms, coworking spaces, a language center, offices, and a data center.

The second site, Sèmè Two, is an innovation park designed to promote new research and innovation approaches accessible to every individual above 8 years old. It includes a tool park for digital design and manufacturing and 3D printing, as well as a laboratory to teach X-ray techniques.

The third site, Sèmè Three, created in partnership with UNICEF Benin and UNFPA Benin, is a community center that welcomes young people between the ages of 8 and 18 with workshops and training around themes such as environmental protection, recycling, entrepreneurship, and audiovisual professions. 

The last one, called Sèmè Four or Pi, is a building that hosts the reference computer science school Epitech Benin.

Sèmè City regularly hosts events such as the Webinar on "Integrating Open Data and Artificial Intelligence in the Development of Smart Cities in Africa," the Continuing AI Professional Development, and the Summer School organized in partnership with Sorbonne University on the theme "Materials, Innovation, and Sustainable Development" in 2022. 

Thanks to the city, the Beninese government plans to create more than 100,000 jobs -half of which will be self-employment and 40% targeting women- by 2032 to become the key partner of innovative projects in strategic areas and to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The goals are expected to be achieved in collaboration with partners like the World Bank, Isocel, Irex, The Tony Elumelu Foundation, Smart Africa, and UNDP, among others. 

Melchior Koba