- Schneider: Powering Africa’s Future
- Powering Africa’s Future through Schneider Electric’s Local Partnership;
By Jeff Mburu
Ifeanyi Odoh, CEO of Schneider Electric, transforms his childhood experiences with power poverty in Nigeria into a mission to enhance electrification and productivity across Africa through innovative engineering solutions.
“My journey with Schneider Electric has been very personal and protracted, driven by my necessity to address very real challenges that confronted me while growing up in Nigeria,” Odoh says.
This kindled Odoh’s interest in engineering and brought him to Schneider, where his career has been dedicated to building solutions to a better, more electrified Africa.
“My initial experience of doing R&D in France, developing wireless EV chargers and designing microgrid solutions, had been thrilling. But what really challenged me was returning to Nigeria, where I wanted to translate lab-tested innovation into real change on the ground,” Odoh explains.
Odoh states that it did not take much to learn that technology itself was not the challenge.
He emphasize that the real challenge lay in how to deploy it within the context of their situation, developing sustainable business models, and establishing ownership within the locality.
“One of our earliest ventures in Nigeria is a perfect illustration of this solar projects. Some young individuals, fresh out of school, were eager to make a difference. They wanted to implement solutions that provide electricity assets in their own communities.
We came together to support them with technical expertise and know-how. We identified more than six communities across the country(Nigeria)that are very far from the grid—far from any electrical infrastructure connected to the national grid. We built a small solution, providing power with barely 24 kilowatts to over 200 homes,” he recalls.
He said that they had brought know-how, technical expertise, and introductions to their products to the table.
He mention that they had built small-sized microgrids , which provides power to hundreds of homes using only a fraction of the power that might have been utilized elsewhere.
“The key to success of this initiative wasn’t merely technology, but our innovative business model too.
We implemented prepaid meters and reached out to make the initiative sustainable on financial terms,” he notes.
The communities, though remote, were productive. The communities are engaged in active agro-processing activities, fisheries, and commerce.
By ensuring reliable power, we were able to make them scale up productivity, incomes, and make it possible for them to pay for power consumed by them, he noted.
He adds that the projects represent a tipping point which demonstrates that energy access has the power to be sustainable and transformative, initiating a wave of economic development and empowerment.
He explains that partnerships with governments, innovators, Schools also serve to make visible their role at the grassroots level, emphasizing that these startups are not merely subcontractors but are dedicated to improving their communities.
His journey afterwards brought him to East Asia, where he spent time in Vietnam and Cambodia building new business activities around renewables, smart grids, and e-mobility.
Being exposed to diverse cultural contexts and entrepreneurial cultures here also informed his experience of how to make change.
“I got to experience firsthand the pace of development that is occurring there and learned valuable lessons on how to spur innovation and build local capacity,” he adds.
He emphasize that East Africa is vibrant with youth, entrepreneurial spirit, and ambition to progress.
He says that all of Africa is on a trajectory to become a significant force on the global stage.
Odoh pointed out that within the next ten years, a quarter of individuals entering the workforce will be African, and within 25 years, this figure will rise to a quarter of the global workforce.
He says that the next billion in growth is occurring in Africa.
“My vision is to give that next generation of individuals here within East Africa the power to innovate and contribute productively by making our technology accessible to them.We have to advance our local partner expertise, from the electricians that install our homes’ wiring to system integrators that install advanced industrial systems,” he said.
He said that Africa have a robust ecosystem of homegrown talent that can drive sustainable development regionally.
“This means investing in our partner company’s training programs, ensuring that our partner company is well-geared up with appropriate skill set and know-how to meet global specifications.It means actively engaging closely with our partner company to know what is critical to them and supporting them accordingly,” he says.
Government interventions
Meanwhile, he explains that developing safety and quality culture within their partner company, will ensure that every installation of electrics, every piece of equipment, is of top-quality.
“Safety is our absolute priority.We have witnessed what can occur where there is sub-standard installation – houses reduced to ashes, businesses engulfed by fire, individuals maimed by what could have been prevented.
We co-operate very closely with governments to make sure that there is compliance with quality levels, that safety is not merely desirable but is non-negotiable,” he said.
Schneider digital space
Digitalization such as use of Artificial intelligence (AI) is also of critical significance. Schneider products are increasingly smart, and can report on how they are doing, and can even predict likely breakdowns, he said.
He further said that they need to give their partners the authority to unlock full digital benefits, enabling them to build systems that are effective but also resilient and adaptive.
“This needs strong infrastructure backbone, digital infrastructure backbone, and thanks to this we are now already deploying multiple data center technologies, supporting different developers for data center to build state-of-the-art data center that is ready for the AI-powered future as well,” he emphasize.
While addressing the sustainability and ways of reducing carbon footprint, Odoh said that, “One thing that we have no choice but to do is to ensure that this infrastructure is net zero from day one.From day one, the design, the build is fully sustainable. And this is not rocket science.We have the best-in-class software suite solution where you can literally have a digital twin of what you want to do,” he adds.
Over the next five years, Schneider’s ambition is to expand their partner network around East Africa, building their on-the-ground experience and driving digital adoption around every industry.
“We will make local businesses competitive on the global stage, employing people and opening up possibilities for youth around the region.
We will make every business, every community, have access to sustainable, reliable power choices that will make them productive,” he notes.
Gender inclusivity
In East Africa, Odoh notes 60% of the leadership team exhibits a bias towards a few men, despite having more female leaders.This reflects ongoing efforts to address gender disparities and enhance community engagement through initiatives like training teachers and students in rural areas.
Community Engagement Initiatives
To reach remote communities, Odoh explains that Schneider initiatives aim to ensure that products and services are accessible not only in urban settings but also in underserved rural areas.
“I will give you an example of a community so remote that it takes two to three hours to access.We are intentional about reaching them and aware of the need for partnerships, collaborating to leverage strengths and ensure beneficiaries in rural communities can access solutions,” he mention.
Odoh expressed his vision for what Schneider Electric can achieve in East Africa.
He emphasized that this vision is shaped by his experiences and fueled by his belief in the potential of the continent’s people.
“It is one that is informed by my experience and motivated by my belief of what can be accomplished on this continent by its people,” he concludes.
