(The following is a paid article by the Koldan Ministry of Industry and Technology)
Innovation is alive, it sings from every corner from the city of Nouveau Kolda. Located in the flat plains of Kolda not far from the original city for which the county bears its name. Kolda was once a great city of Neria, streets of many goods and wears, students studying and development and growth being encouraged. That’s the spirit of Nouveau Kolda, conceived in 2018 by the State Planning Authority, yet not revealed to the world until 2024 when an unfortunate attack damaged and killed many. Yet, the danger is gone, the dream will not be silenced by weapons but instead magnified. Soon, with the help of the Koldan Ministry of Industry and Technology (KMIT), the city came back even stronger through 2025 and now in 2026, the city is open for business.
On the first day of the new year, President Edouard Senghor along with members of the KMIT and Nouveau Kolda’s Innovation Officer, Jemus Jamneh pressed a button which opened the city for business as the first residents flooded in. The title of Innovation Officer is not given lightly, it’s a role similar to a mayor and recognizes a key technical and economic contributor to whom the success of the city would not be possible. In 2025, future residents overwhelmingly elected Jemus Jammeh, a religious and community leader, as well as a major investor in AI technology. His company, Lightbulb is the city’s first major occupant in the tech field, and is expected to be joined soon by many more.
Lightbulb is a company which helped develop Mwendah, the first AI model to be developed in Kolda. She is a motherly and helpful figure who has been incorporated in the city’s operation. International experts have been raving about Mwendah with featured segments on several TV stations and programs such as George Oliver’s famous Real Talk! Mwendah can answer any question, control the lights in your home, sing songs to your children and do the simple tasks which sometimes hold us back in living our best lives. Lightbulb isn’t the only company in Nouveau Kolda, far from it. Heartland Resources, a Slokasian-firm has built their own regional headquarters in a stunning new campus. Their extraction of lithium resources is a key to the success of the city’s microchip technology and the company even received the Koldan Market Innovation Prize in 2025 for their commitment to improving the well-being of Koldan’s through local employment.
Nouveau Kolda isn’t just a job center, it’s a living and breathing city. Starting in 2025, slots opened up which were soon filled by people from all over Kolda. Apartments and homes are built in unique stacked designs to allow for uniformity and community engagement based on the traditional mud-hut style of the original city of Kolda. Additionally, each unit is powered by clean, renewable energy and rain-water capture techniques which improve sustainability. So far 30,000 people have moved to the city, with 150,000 expected by 2030. So why not join in, foreigner residents are welcome through a special visa and residence program established by President Senghor. All this is required is a fee provided for community improvement and a desire to change the world and benefit the common good. In Nouveau Kolda, we are no longer defined by national boundaries but instead united by a common push towards innovation, success and prosperity.
