Driving East Africa’s Growth Through Digitalisation: Schneider Electric’s Mission to Upskill Partners and Transform Industry

In East Africa, we’re experiencing an exciting period of business growth driven, in part, by digital transformation and its myriad of benefits, such as mobile-driven financial inclusion, smarter agriculture and industrial manufacturing, critical infrastructure, and data centres, to name but a few.

Similarly, digital transformation is creating opportunities for our channel partners, who include system integrators (SIs), panel builders, resellers, and electricians.

However, to make the most of this momentum, our partners must enhance their technical & digital capability across key sectors. This will accelerate the drive & adoption of digital initiatives across industries as diverse as manufacturing, commercial enterprise, education, and energy.

At Schneider Electric, we’ve recognised how important it is to support our partners, upskilling them with localised, global skills that strengthen not only their own business but also the region’s technology ecosystem.

Our approach is therefore two-pronged; enhancing technical expertise within our partner network whilst simultaneously broadening the market reach and the specialty support each partner can offer.

Unlocking economic potential through digitalisation

One of the fundamental benefits of digital transformation, prescriptive maintenance, is its ability to predict faults in advance and then prescribe solutions before breakdowns occur.

It is a game-changer and realized by prescriptive maintenance’s data-driven approach that uses real-time monitoring, analytics, and AI to anticipate equipment failures before they happen.

It provides insight into when and why a fault is likely to occur—and how to remedy it. This not only improves valuable uptime but also enhances competitiveness at both regional and global levels.

Yet, many industrial sectors in East Africa are still in the early stages of this transformation. While a handful of companies are already embedding AI and digitalisation into their production lines, the majority are still building their readiness.

To accelerate progress, we are working with clients to conduct digital maturity assessments. These audits evaluate where a facility stands today, identify opportunities, and develop a clear, step-by-step roadmap for optimising productivity, lowering costs, and harnessing the full potential of digital tools like predictive maintenance.

Building local expertise, strengthened by global support

At Schneider Electric, we believe strongly in utilising both global best practices and local expertise – the best of both, so to speak.

Locally, we have established a strong, regional engineering team capable of supporting our partners and end-users directly. These local engineers provide first-line expertise, conduct audits, and generate brand-agnostic white papers that guide clients on how to progress step by step.

Where specialised knowledge is required, global experts complement our local teams, ensuring that East African businesses benefit from a seamless blend of international know-how and local context.

Driving efficiency across the supply chain

Digitalisation’s impact extends well beyond factory floors. In East Africa, one of the most pressing challenges for local industries lies in spare parts management. Traditionally, these businesses have either tied up capital in vast spare parts inventories or risked crippling downtime waiting for parts to be delivered.

However, by digitising asset data and applying lifecycle analysis, Schneider Electric helps companies predict maintenance schedules, identify critical spares, and plan procurement well in advance. This approach reduces unnecessary costs, ensures business continuity, and mitigates the risks of last-minute logistics challenges.

Ultimately, establishing both an economy and a partner network built on digital transformation is only one part of the journey.  As an organisation, we are endeavouring to foster an environment built on collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and the growth of a skilled workforce capable of sustaining this exciting growth period.

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By Ifeanyi Odoh, Country President, Schneider Electric East Africa