Schneider Electric, the global leader in energy management and automation, is marking 10 years of operations in Kenya amid a boom in the country’s tech and energy sectors. Since entering the Kenyan market in 2014, Schneider Electric has played a critical role in supporting the country’s sustainable development agenda by powering hospitals, scaling digital data infrastructure, training hundreds of youth in renewable energy technologies, as well as revolutionizing manufacturing business through digital transformation.
Speaking during the Schneider Electric Partners Event at JW Marriot in Nairobi, Ifeanyi Odoh, Country President for Schneider Electric East Africa, highlighted the company’s ten year impact as well as the long-term vision for the region “This milestone is more than a celebration, it’s a reaffirmation of our investment and commitment to Kenya. Over the past decade, we’ve partnered with the government, private sector, and communities to build energy solutions that are sustainable, inclusive, and future-proof. As Kenya advances toward its digital and green transition goals, Schneider Electric will continue to be a trusted partner in powering progress.”
Over the years, Schneider Electric has invested in Kenya’s industrial growth while championing Local Manufacturing. Through its local partners, the company has invested heavily in ensuring its electrical switchboard enclosures, such as Prisma and BlokSeT, are locally assembled, supporting Kenya’s Buy Kenya, Build Kenya initiative. The move is part of Schneider Electric’s strategy to empower local partners by transferring product capabilities and enabling them to build solutions independently.
Such partnerships over the decade have enhanced job creation, industrial capacity, and brought globally trusted electrical technologies within reach for Kenyan industries, data centers, and infrastructure solutions.
Skill transfer and education have been critical in Schneider Electric’s global ambition to train one million people in energy by 2025 with energy management and industrial automation skills. By the end of 2025, Schneider Electric’s growth in East Africa will have gone hand-in-hand with a deep investment in education and skills development. By the end of 2025, the company will have equipped a total of 32 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions across East Africa with state-of-the-art equipment and trained over 25,000 students as part of this commitment. The trainings are tailored towards electrical and automation innovations, enhancing practical learning in areas such as domestic and industrial wiring, as well as programmable logic controller (PLC) programming, ensuring that graduates are industry-ready.
A cornerstone of this initiative is the establishment of the first Schneider Electric Franco-Kenyan Centre of Excellence at PC Kinyanjui Technical Training Institute in Nairobi. Launched in collaboration with the Kenyan State Department for TVET, the French Ministry of National Education and Youth, and the Schneider Electric Foundation, this center is equipped with advanced didactic benches designed to provide hands-on training in electrical and automation system and will be dedicated to research, development, and testing of renewable energy and energy efficient solutions.
“With Kenya leading the way in the technology revolution, Schneider Electric will continue to invest in smarter infrastructure, workforce development, and local partnerships.” Mr Odoh added
To date, Schneider Electric Kenya has also significantly advanced digitization in the country by enabling smart infrastructure, energy efficiency, and industrial automation across various sectors. Through its EcoStruxure™ platform, the company has implemented smart building solutions in commercial spaces like Banks, automated manufacturing plants in industrial zones, and digitized utility infrastructure, supporting energy-efficient operations. One notable achievement is the deployment of smart Off-Grid solutions in health centers across Kisii County (Matongo and Nyagoto Dispensaries) that saw community maternal mortality rates reduced by up to 83% in communities through smart microgrids in regions like Kisii.
A notable milestone is its partnership with IXAfrica to launch East Africa’s first and largest hyperscale data center, NBOX1, in Nairobi. This Tier 3+ facility, powered by Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure for Data Centers architecture and MV and LV switchgear, delivers 99.999% uptime and supports advanced AI workloads, marking a significant leap in Kenya’s digital infrastructure landscape.
Altogether, Schneider Electric Kenya is playing a critical role in driving Kenya’s transition to a data-driven, sustainable, and digitally empowered future.
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