Schneider Electric partners with East Africa MG Group to deepen presence in Rwanda, the region

By Michel Nkurunziza.

Schneider Electric and East Africa MG Group entered partnership during the Africa CEO Forum to strengthen presence in Rwanda and the wider East African region as demand for electrification, digitisation, and automation continues to grow.

The partnership was announced on the sidelines of the Africa CEO Forum, where company executives said the collaboration would help expand access to advanced energy technologies and future-ready infrastructure solutions in Rwanda.

Speaking during the signing ceremony, Manish Pant, Executive Vice President of Schneider Electric overseeing emerging economies, said the partnership marks an important milestone in the company’s expansion strategy in Africa.

“We are extremely pleased that today we are signing this partnership with East Africa Energy Group because it marks the next step in Schneider Electric’s journey on the African continent and deepens our presence in Rwanda and the wider East African region,” he said.

He noted that the world is entering an era where electrification, digitisation, and automation are becoming increasingly critical for economic growth and sustainability.

“At Schneider Electric, we are your energy technology partner, helping ensure this convergence happens through technology so that customers can fully benefit from the future of energy transition and digitisation,” Pant said.

Pant said the company continues to invest heavily in innovation, allocating around seven per cent of its sales revenue to research and development.

“We are investing heavily to prepare for a future that is more electric, more digital, and more automated,” he said.

“We bring solutions, products, systems, and services that help our customers take full advantage of these trends, whether in data centres, utilities, infrastructure, homes, or commercial buildings.”

According to Pant, Schneider Electric’s commitment to Africa spans several decades, with Rwanda emerging as one of the continent’s fastest-growing markets.

“Africa is a growing continent, and Rwanda is one of its fastest-growing countries,” he said. “Although we have been present here before through some of our customers, we did not previously have a local partner to continue serving them directly.”

He added that the partnership with East Africa Energy Group would strengthen the company’s ability to serve the local market while facilitating technology transfer and long-term collaboration.

“Schneider Electric’s success is built on partnerships. Through this collaboration, we are bringing technology transfer and long-term commitment to Rwanda,” Pant said.

The company also announced plans to establish a training centre in Rwanda to support skills development and ensure new technologies are well understood locally.

“ we are also establishing a training centre here to ensure these new technologies are well understood and that installations are future-ready,” he said.

Pant said Rwanda’s rapid urbanisation, rising consumer expectations, and increasing investments in infrastructure require long-term planning and adoption of modern technologies.

“We need to ensure that every new building and every new data centre constructed in Rwanda is ready for the next 20 to 25 years,” he said. “We do not want to rely on outdated technology; we want to embrace the technology of the future.”

He described East Africa MG Group as one of the few partners launching with Schneider Electric’s complete range of solutions.

“You are among the few partners beginning with the full range of Schneider Electric solutions — from grid to plug, and from chip to chiller,” Pant said.

“You are truly becoming a ‘One Schneider’ partner, and that is something we value greatly.”

EUCL welcomes Schneider partnership as boost to local energy services

Nicole Uwineza, the Senior Engineer in Maintenance Planning at Rwanda Energy Group/EUCL welcomed the new partnership between Schneider Electric and East Africa MG Group, saying it will improve access to energy solutions and technical support within Rwanda.

She said the collaboration would help bring critical services and technologies closer to local utility operators and customers.

“As a utility company, we work with Schneider solutions from power generation all the way to the end user,” she said.

“This partnership is a great opportunity for us. It is exactly what Rwanda and our utility sector need — services and support closer to us.”

She described the partnership as an important step towards decentralising services that were previously accessed from outside the country.

“This is true decentralisation. We want these services and solutions to happen here in Rwanda,” she  said.

According to her, closer collaboration with Schneider Electric and  East Africa MG Group will help strengthen operations in the utility sector while improving responsiveness to local market needs.

“We are very grateful for this opportunity, and we will continue working together to strengthen the partnership and keep things moving forward,” she said.

The partnership aims to expand Schneider Electric’s footprint in Rwanda and East Africa through local distribution, technical support, technology transfer, and training initiatives focused on electrification, automation, and digital infrastructure.

Eric Gishoma, CEO of Vision Technologies Company (VTC) which owns East Africa MG Group added that Schneider Electric plans energy lab, local assembly expansion in Rwanda

He announced plans to establish an energy laboratory at the University of Rwanda and explore local assembly opportunities as part of efforts to deepen its presence in Rwanda’s growing technology and energy sectors.

He said Rwanda has become a strategic market for Schneider Electric due to its fast-growing digital and innovation ecosystem.

“Rwanda is one of the key countries that has always been very dear to our hearts,” he said. “Today, Schneider is already powering various infrastructures, including Rwanda Energy Group, Rwanda Airports, pharmaceutical companies, and several buildings here.”

According to him, the company recognised the need for a strong local partner capable of supporting Rwanda’s growth ambitions and expanding services across the region.

“One of the things we realised we needed to add as incremental value in the country was a reliable partner on the ground who would support Rwanda’s growth potential across the region,” Gishoma said.

“With this relationship that we are now forming with East Africa Energy Group, one of our dreams has come true.”

He described Rwanda as an emerging digital hub driven by a youthful population, innovation, and strong government support for technology development.

“Rwanda is leading the way towards becoming a digital hub, with a youthful and innovative population,” he said. “The government is also strongly committed to making Rwanda a hallmark of innovation in Africa.”

Gishoma said Schneider Electric intends to expand its long-term investments in Rwanda beyond product distribution and infrastructure support.

“We are here to walk this journey together, and we are not stopping here,” he said. “Our intention is to continue adding value, including through local assembly.”

“We are going to establish an energy lab at the University of Rwanda. The aim is to continue building competencies that will go beyond Rwanda’s borders,” he said.

The company said the partnership will support faster electrification, automation, and digitisation in industries, infrastructure, buildings, and data centres.

“Our mission is simple. We need to electrify faster, automate faster, and fully leverage digitisation to bring value to industries, buildings, infrastructure, and data centres,” Gishoma said.

He added that Schneider Electric plans to work closely with EUCL to improve grid infrastructure and energy efficiency.

“We look forward to engaging further with you to see how we can support EUCL to optimise grid infrastructure, improve efficiency, and support every other client here,” he said.

Schneider Electric representatives said Rwanda is a significant market for us in East Africa.

“ It is a place which is looking towards the future. It is highly digital, and there is early adoption of the latest technologies,” it stated.

The company also indicated that while it already has a presence in countries such as Kenya, it aims to strengthen its model of local delivery in Rwanda.

“We do have representation in Kenya and a few other countries here. But what is important is that we want to serve Rwanda from Rwanda.”

“For us, data centres are one of the key segments where we bring solutions  We are able to deliver these solutions in Rwanda to ensure data centres are AI-ready for the future,” he said.

The company also confirmed ongoing engagement in infrastructure and building projects, as well as collaboration with the University of Rwanda to support skills development and technology adoption, Pant added.