By: Punch

Event Overview and Strategic Importance

Schneider Electric hosted its Innovation Day Nigeria 2025 in Lagos, bringing together over 400 customers, 70 C-level executives, and senior government officials. The event, themed "Competitive Advantage Through Automation and Sustainability," served as a key platform to explore how digital innovation and smart infrastructure can accelerate Nigeria's energy transition and drive industrial growth, highlighting the critical role of private sector leadership in this transformation.

Schneider's Growing Impact in Nigeria

Country President Ajibola Akindele detailed the company's 25-year growth journey in Nigeria, from a single employee to over 200 staff today. He emphasized Schneider's substantial market penetration, noting the company now powers 100% of Nigeria's electricity production, 95% of refining operations, and 55% of food production. Within Lagos specifically, there's a 65% chance that electricity flows through Schneider equipment, demonstrating their embedded role in the nation's critical infrastructure.

Educational Partnerships and Workforce Development

A significant aspect of Schneider's commitment involves education and technical skills development through partnerships with five higher institutions including the University of Ibadan and Yaba College of Technology. These initiatives have trained over 13,000 youths in technical and energy skills, while projects like the Bonny Multimodal Centre provide uninterrupted power for educational facilities, ensuring reliable energy access for learning and testing.

Global Megatrends and Technological Solutions

Walid Sheta, Zone President for Middle East and Africa, outlined four global megatrends shaping the energy sector: energy transition, digitization/AI, infrastructure development, and global rebalancing. He showcased Schneider's EcoStruxure solutions through successful implementations like Eko Atlantic City (electrifying 99% of the city) and the National Electricity Company in Senegal, which achieved €21 million in annual energy savings and reduced recovery time from three hours to three minutes.

Government Support and Future Collaboration

The event featured strong government endorsement, with representatives from the Minister of Power reaffirming commitment to energy sector reforms and private sector collaboration. An Industrial Panel Session curated by Business Day examined how policy, innovation, and investment can work together to accelerate Nigeria's energy transition, improve efficiency, expand access, and foster deeper collaboration between government, industry, and technology providers.