Some 40,000 new LED streetlights are to be installed across Lagos as part of a £38m investment.
The cash will be used to place low energy LED streetlights in the Nigerian city over the next four years as part of the first phase of the ‘Light up Lagos’ project involving the UK Department for International Development, British firm Low Energy Designs Ltd and the Lagos State Government.
The initiative was announced at a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which discussed ways to boost trade among its 53 countries and 2.3bn customers, including rising economies in Asia and Africa.
Lagos currently has about 33,000 streetlights. In the first year of the scheme 10,000 lights will be added, meaning 31% of the city will be covered.
The streetlights will improve safety and environmental sustainability. They will also help tackle pollution and crime in Africa’s largest city, home to 21m people.
In the second phase of the project, a consortium involving Low Energy Designs Ltd and local Nigerian company Biswal Limited will work to retrofit more roads in Lagos with lights as part of urban regeneration projects in the areas of Ikoyi, Ikeja and Victoria Island.
Finally, a LED lighting and Hybrid Energy Storage assembly plant will be set up in Epe, a town in Lagos State, which will employ 50 permanent staff, expected to expand to 250 people in coming years. This assembly plant will be run entirely off-grid, the first of its kind in Africa, and will contribute to reduce energy demand through a combination of renewable technologies.
Throughout the three phases, 500 jobs for local people will be created.
Low Energy Designs CEO Alan Parker said: “We have been supplying our intelligent LED streetlights into Nigeria for over 10 years, every time I visit I get to see our original lighting installations still working. With lighting manufacturers virtually non-existent in Nigeria and the West coast of Africa, it is imperative for us to push to the next level by partnering with a local established company [LEDCo Ltd] to manufacture LED lighting locally in Lagos.”
Speaking about Light up Lagos, UK trade minister Greg Hands said: “The Commonwealth has a unique opportunity to boost its trade links and drive prosperity and growth among its members. Pakistan and Nigeria are prime examples of this, with their growing trade with the UK and overseas investment powering economic growth.”
British High Commissioner to Nigeria Paul Arkwright said: “We expect to see more partnerships as companies seek to work with and invest in what is Africa’s largest economy and as they better appreciate the opportunities, along with the risks of working in this market. Indeed, we are working hard to increase trade ties for long-term, sustainable and mutually beneficial growth.”
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