A Nigerian state government has agreed a deal with UK-based greentech firm Conflow Power Group to deploy 50,000 solar-powered streetlights that also function as a distributed AI data centre, in a major example of IoT for smart cities infrastructure.
The Government of Katsina State said the rollout will see units deployed across the state, combining street lighting with edge computing capability built into each “iLamp” lamp post.
Each iLamp is designed as a solar-powered streetlight with integrated AI compute, and can also support public WiFi, Bluetooth connectivity and LED lighting. Units can additionally be configured with AI-enabled cameras and monitoring systems, subject to local regulation and data governance requirements.
The agreement follows a public-private partnership review involving multiple arms of the Katsina State government, with officials assessing land use and planning, highway regulation, data protection, cybersecurity and public safety before approving the deployment.
Conflow said a full deployment of 50,000 units would deliver 13.75 PetaOPS of distributed compute capacity. The system is designed to run entirely on solar power, without reliance on the national grid and without water-based cooling, positioning it as an alternative to conventional centralised data centres.
Instead of concentrating compute in a single facility, processing is distributed across thousands of street-level nodes embedded into infrastructure already deployed across towns and cities, forming a large-scale IoT for smart cities network.
Edward Fitzpatrick, chief executive of Conflow Power Group, said: “This agreement is a defining moment for how the world thinks about AI infrastructure, and we are proud that Katsina is the first Nigerian state to complete this process with us. Every ministry asked the right questions and satisfied itself on land use, highway regulation, data protection and security before writing to the Governor.”
He added: “By contrast with traditional data centre models, which typically require 300MW of grid power, millions of litres of cooling water and years of construction, Katsina’s 13.75 PetaOPS arrives on an iLamp post powered by the sun, operational from day one. As the first to cross the line, CPG will locate its first factory in Katsina and create Nigeria’s first Green Utility.”
Mora Energy, CPG’s exclusive deployment partner in Nigeria, will lead installation across the state. Over the past five months, the two companies have also held discussions with seven Nigerian state governments, alongside universities, private companies and religious institutions, on further IoT for smart cities deployments.
Stanley Chuka-Umeora, founder of Mora Energy, said: “The groundwork to get here was extensive, but now the real work begins. We will install a state-of-the-art streetlight network that makes our streets safer, brings AI into local communities and positions Nigeria as a major player in global AI compute. We are proud of our whole team and look forward to what comes next.”
The Katsina deal forms part of a wider pipeline in Nigeria, with Conflow saying more than 300,000 iLamp units could be deployed if current discussions across federal, state and institutional sites result in agreements.
The company is also in talks over a potential deployment along the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, although no further contracts have been announced.
In Katsina State, officials said the project forms part of a broader “smart state” strategy, integrating lighting, communications and distributed computing across public infrastructure, aligned with wider IoT for smart cities development.
Dr Hafiz Ibrahim Ahmad, Special Adviser on Power and Energy in Katsina State, said: “Today, Katsina becomes the premier state in Nigeria for data centre capability, home to the only distributed AI data centre of its kind anywhere on the African continent.”
He added: “Every lamp installed, every unit of computing power, every naira of revenue is fully auditable. For the people of Katsina, the benefits are transformational. This means safer streets, real-time crime and terrorism prevention, free public internet and a revenue stream that flows back into the state.”
Over the past five months, Conflow and Mora Energy executives, led by Stanley Chuka-Umeora, Anthony Chuka-Umeora and Labo Muhammad Mahuta, have been engaged in parallel negotiations with seven Nigerian state governments, universities, private companies and religious campuses regarding large-scale IoT for smart cities iLamp deployments.
If all agreements currently under negotiation are executed, the combined programme will exceed 300,000 iLamp units across federal, state and institutional installations.
