Schneider Electric has expanded its Data Centre and Critical Infrastructure EcoXpert programme in Nigeria as part of efforts aimed at addressing the operational challenges facing the country’s rapidly growing digital infrastructure sector.

The initiative focuses on developing certified local engineering specialists capable of managing complex data centre systems and improving energy efficiency.

Beyond relying solely on hardware solutions, the programme focuses on specialised and localised intelligence that strengthens its infrastructure reliability.

According to the Country President of Schneider Electric Anglophone Africa, Ajibola Akindele, software is no longer a background tool for data centre in Nigeria, but an intelligence that allows operators to anticipate changes in demand, optimise energy use, and ensure resilient performance where electricity supply remains constrained.

He said: “Many Nigerian IT configurations were developed through a fragmented approach: one firm for cooling, another for uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), and a third for cabling. This reliance on uncertified generalists often results in massive energy leakage. In a country where every kilowatt-hour is a luxury, technical inefficiency is a slow-motion financial disaster.”

Speaking further on the initiative, he explained that the EcoXpert programme seeks to professionalise the local engineering ecosystem.

According to him, “these are not overseas consultants; they are Nigerian engineering firms and system integrators who undergo rigorous, tiered certification. These partners are trained in “Electricity 4.0″—a Schneider Electric framework that merges digital monitoring with electrical hardware to eliminate energy waste before it impacts the bottom line.”

Akindele, however, said that the urgency for this expertise is driven by the global surge in Artificial Intelligence, noting that AI workloads require significantly higher rack densities, and generate levels of heat that traditional “precision cooling” setups are not designed to handle.

“As local banks and telecommunications firms integrate AI-driven fraud detection and customer analytics, their data centers are operating at unprecedented thermal loads. Without the intervention of liquid cooling or advanced airflow management, specialties now included in the EcoXpert curriculum, local infrastructure faces the risk of a literal meltdown,” he said.

He further gave another instance on how the initiative would help the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) achieve its stance on data sovereignty, keeping the data of Nigerian citizens on Nigerian soil.