Abstract
In the context of recently estimated trends, it is anticipated that the growth pattern of the populace in urban regions will be more significant in the first thirty years of the 21st century in comparison to the accumulative urban development patterns seen in previous data gathered from around the world. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is the region that consists of developing countries, out of which most are rapidly urbanising populations that are expected to double by the end of 2030. Although many of the major countries in the Middle East are becoming aware of their rapidly coupling populace, which not only consists of natives but also foreign expatriates, the evidence of a shift towards technology and competitiveness of being a benchmark of standardised culture and science mix has been witnessed only in economic centres. The successful initiatives by some MENA countries to pave their way forward in streamlining their future potential to facilitate sustainability through digitalisation help in laying out a baseline framework for the adoption of the guidelines for moving towards smartness. The purpose of this research is to develop a framework for successful implementation of smart cities strategies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.