Albania, Presight sign landmark smart city deal
G42 Group's Presight to digitise 20 cities across Albania
#Albania #UAE #smartcities - The Albanian Ministry of Interior has engaged ADX-listed big data analytics company Presight to implement a comprehensive nationwide smart city project across 20 Albanian cities. The letter of engagement was signed in Tiranë in the presence of UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama. The ambitious initiative aims to position Albania as one of Europe's leading adopters of AI and smart nation infrastructure.
SO WHAT? - The agreement with Albania is the second significant smart cities deal announced by Presight this month. Last week, signed a $190 million municipal government of the City of Astana to implement an AI-powered smart city project. Although the value of the Albanian deal was not disclosed, the value of the project could well run into nine-figures. Cities in the country will get access to some of the most advanced AI-powered smart city and traffic management solutions available, with an advanced command and control centre.
Here are some interesting points about the new deal:
Albania’s Ministry of Interior has engaged ADX-listed big data analytics company Presight, part of the G42 Group, to implement a comprehensive nationwide smart city project across 20 Albanian cities. According to Albanian media, the total cost of the project is $118.5 million, which has been secured via a loan from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development*.
The signing ceremony was attended by UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama; His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Presight Board Chairman; and Albanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Her Excellency Belinda Balluku.
The project aims to elevate Albania to be one of Europe’s leading adopters of artificial intelligence and smart nation infrastructure.
The comprehensive initiative will deliver an AI-powered smart city and traffic management platform enabling real-time monitoring of urban operations, which promises to reduce congestion and enhance road safety across Albania's urban centres through predictive analytics and automated traffic flow optimisation.
Presight will also deliver an advanced AI-driven command and control centre that will centralise decision-making for public service operations, emergency response systems, and infrastructure management, creating a unified national approach to urban challenges.
The framework for Albania's smart city transformation will build on proven methodologies already used in the UAE, effectively transferring the Emirates’ smart city expertise.
Presight, which is majority-owned by Abu Dhabi-based G42, brings specialised expertise in GenAI, digital pubic services and big data analytics that will create solutions that deliver smart city benefits to Albanians, including reduced urban travel times and improved public service delivery.
According to information submitted to the Albanian Parliament, the smart city
project will include the deployment of 2,239 automatic license plate recognition (ANPR) cameras, 2,602 pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras for traffic monitoring, 3,816 body cameras for police officers, 100 smart radars and 100 traffic sensors*.
The project explicitly commits to "responsible and ethical implementation of AI-driven solutions," addressing growing European concerns about privacy and algorithmic transparency in public infrastructure while promising improved services, digitised infrastructure, and enhanced healthcare access.
This agreement emerges from an official UAE delegation visit to Albania.
ZOOM OUT - Albania's nationwide AI infrastructure initiative represents a growing trend of smaller nations partnering with the UAE and its technology departments, companies and institutions to accelerate technological development. The deal further strengthens UAE's position as an AI exporter and reinforces its strategy of tech diplomacy through urban infrastructure projects.
* Updated 18-Mar-25
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
Read more about recent Presight deals:
Presight secures $190 million Smart City deal with Astana (Middle East AI News)
Presight wins multi-million dollar AI contract with Jordan (Middle East AI News)