Schneider Electric West Africa has stressed the need for greater investment in engineering skills across West Africa as industries become more connected, data-driven, and efficiency-focused.

The firm noted that developing local technical expertise will be key to building competitive and resilient industrial systems in the region’s next phase of growth.

This is as the company trained engineers on intelligent motor management systems as part of efforts to improve operational efficiency, reduce downtime, and manage rising energy costs across the region’s manufacturing and industrial sectors.

The training programme, themed “Schneider Learning Series: MoMARATHON – Level Up Your Motor Protection Knowledge,” focused on modern approaches to configuring, protecting, monitoring, and optimising industrial motor systems used across manufacturing plants, commercial buildings, and industrial facilities.

Participants were trained on motor protection principles, fault prevention, real-time diagnostics, system configuration, digital monitoring technologies, and intelligent control systems used in modern industrial operations.

Speaking at the programme, Country President of Schneider Electric West Africa, Ajibola Akindele, stressed that developing local engineering capability is vital to building competitive and resilient industries across the region.

According to the International Energy Agency’s Electric Motor Systems Platform, electric motor systems account for approximately 53 per cent of global electricity consumption and nearly 72 per cent of electricity use within industrial environments.

Yet, despite their central role in industrial productivity, energy efficiency, and operational reliability, technical expertise in motor management remains uneven across many emerging markets.

Akindele stressed that the emphasis on capability development reflects a broader reality shaping industrial growth across the region.

He added: “Infrastructure investment alone is not sufficient. The effectiveness of industrial systems increasingly depends on the depth of technical expertise available to operate and maintain them.

“Technical training programmes such as this highlight the growing recognition that industrial growth depends not only on physical infrastructure but also on the human systems required to sustain it. Across manufacturing, utilities, infrastructure, and processing industries, capability is becoming as critical as capacity.”