An energy management and industrial automation company, Schneider Electric, has restated its commitment to helping to drive the growth and development of Nigeria’s economy by creating more jobs and supporting the manufacturing sector to increase productivity.
Country President, Schneider Electric, West Africa, Ajibola Akindele, who gave the commitment during the inauguration of the company’s new headquarters in Aromire, Ikeja, Lagos, said this development marks a significant step in Schneider Electric’s commitment to Nigeria’s and indeed Africa’s economic growth through empowering individuals, communities and industries with sustainable energy solutions.
Akindele outlined Schneider Electric’s operations and continuous commitment to contributing to Nigeria’s economic growth and job creation through strategic local partnerships.
“At Schneider Electric, we are committed to driving economic growth and fostering job creation in Nigeria and across West Africa. In Nigeria, we have over 300 partners, including distributors, retailers, contractors, system integrators, and panel builders. Building local capacity to support customers is at the heart of our partnership strategy.
“Through our partners, we indirectly create over 3,000 jobs in Nigeria, contributing to Schneider Electric’s global network of over 6 million partners. We believe in the Nigerian and African market, and we are dedicated to contributing to its flourishing by investing in local talent and market-specific solutions.
“Over the 19 years we spent in Tunde Gafar Street, we have expanded from 40 employees to 250 employees, supporting critical sectors such as power, oil and gas, food and beverage, the consumer-packaged goods market, and the building segment. This new facility will not only service countries across the West African market but also serve as a hub to showcase our capabilities, innovation, and problem-solving expertise,”
“Over the 19 years we spent in Tunde Gafar Street, we have expanded from 40 employees to 250 employees, supporting critical sectors such as power, oil and gas, food and beverage, the consumer-packaged goods market, and the building segment. This new facility will not only service countries across the West African market but also serve as a hub to showcase our capabilities, innovation, and problem-solving expertise,” he said.
Consul-General of France in Nigeria, Laurent Favier congratulated Schneider Electric team for the milestone.
“Congratulations to the Schneider team for reaching this important milestone. France is dedicated to supporting your efforts here in Nigeria. Together, we aim to enhance and promote French interests in the region,” he said.
The event was attended by the Consul-General of France in Nigeria, Mr Laurent Favier; Permanent Secretary Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Lagos State, Engr (Mrs) Abiola Kosegbe; Zone President, Schneider Electric Middle East and Africa, Walid Sheta; Cluster President, Schneider Electric’s Anglophone Africa, Devan Pillay; Marketing and Communications Manager, Schneider Electric, Anglophone West Africa, Omobolanle Omotayo, partners, media representatives, amongst others.
The new facility, strategically located in Lagos will serve as a central hub for Schneider Electric’s operations in Nigeria and the broader West African market.
Attendees
Present at the office launch were President of Schneider Electric Middle East and Africa, Walid Sheta, spoke on Schneider Electric’s commitment to ensuring its sustainability practices are integrated across its operations in Africa, “Time Magazine named Schneider Electric the most sustainable company in the world, and we are committed to maintaining that standard in Nigeria.
“Sustainability is closely tied to development and energy access, which remains a major challenge in Africa, and we believe the economical sustainable development will come in Africa. To achieve this, we need to invest in our talents to develop these products, solutions, and software, to deploy them in vast territories like Nigeria. We are proud to the most local of global companies.
“We are also committed to achieving net-zero operations, ensuring distribution centres, factories, hotels, and hospitals meet net-zero standards in real estate. More importantly, what we provide to our customers is electrification and digitization, which integrates sustainability into our operations,” he said.
President, Schneider Electric’s Anglophone Africa Cluster, Devan Pillay, highlighted the significance of Schneider Electric’s unified headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria, stating, “As a complex company, who operates in two primary areas: electrical distribution and industrial automation.
It is essential for us to leverage all our key operations within the country.
“By consolidating our leadership for West Africa and bringing our teams together in one office, we can harness the power of collaboration to achieve more. This modern facility reflects Schneider’s commitment to fostering a progressive workplace environment that encourages teamwork and innovation.”
Schneider Electric drives digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies; endpoint to cloud connecting products, controls, software, and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centres, infrastructure and industries.
