Nigeria’s manufacturing decarbonisation journey

Industries today continue to be under pressure to reduce their carbon footprint and align with global climate commitments, writes Belema Koleoso, software leader, West Africa at Schneider Electric

However, as the adage goes, easier said than done, with many countries including Nigeria that still have to overcome numerous challenges to reduce emissions whilst running competitive, sustainable operations.

As it stands, Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), developed in accordance with the Climate Change Act of 2021 and updated in October 2025, pledges to achieve net zero emissions by 2060.

However, without the ability to effectively measure emissions and energy use at a granular level, many manufacturers will continue struggle to build meaningful decarbonisation strategies. And the result; climate ambitions that remain aspirational as opposed to actionable.

Measurement is critical

As mentioned, for many manufacturers, the journey toward sustainability must begin with a simple but critical step: measurement.

A significant number of industrial facilities operate machinery that has been running reliably for decades, but with limited visibility into how efficiently those machines perform. While operators know that production lines are functioning, they often lack insight into the energy intensity, operational efficiency, and emissions impact of the equipment.

Without this visibility, companies are unable to establish a baseline for key performance indicators (KPIs) related to energy use and carbon emissions. And without that baseline, it becomes extremely difficult to create a credible decarbonisation roadmap.

Measurement should therefore become the important, first step any sustainability strategy. By understanding exactly how energy is consumed and how emissions are generated across operations, companies can begin to identify where improvements are possible and where investments will deliver the greatest impact.

Establishing visibility and efficiency

The first step toward improved emissions management is typically a comprehensive operational audit. At Schneider Electric, our process involves assessing the existing infrastructure within a plant and identifies gaps in monitoring and digital capabilities.

In many cases, we find facilities operate with a mix of technologies, some modern, others outdated which can be entirely manual processes. The audit helps determine where new monitoring systems, sensors, and digital tools should be introduced.

At the physical layer, this typically often involves deploying connected devices such as:

Temperature sensors

Flow meters

Level sensors

Transmitters

Energy monitoring devices

These sensors, which can be retrofitted, then capture real-time operational data and feed it into control systems where it can be aggregated and analysed.

Once this data is available, automation and analytics can then be introduced to optimise processes. This will allow manufacturers to align energy consumption more closely with production output, ensuring that systems use only the energy required to deliver the desired results.

The next step, optimisation

Once visibility and efficiency are established, the next step is optimisation. Here, we recommend using digital tools and advanced analytics platforms which analyse operational data across multiple processes and identify opportunities to further reduce energy consumption and emissions.

These systems can also support decision-making by recommending specific actions to improve performance.

For example, energy and sustainability management platforms can track emissions data across an organisation and align it with decarbonisation targets. These systems act as digital co-pilots, analysing patterns and performance indicators, which align with sustainability initiatives.

Sustainability management enable companies to answer key questions like:

Where are the largest sources of carbon attribution?

Which processes consume the most energy?

What operational changes could reduce carbon intensity without compromising output?

Decarbonisation is not just a technology challenge

Successful decarbonisation efforts require both organisational and governance alignment. Decarbonisation strategies will therefore typically align three elements:

Technology – digital monitoring, automation, and analytics

People – operational teams trained to use data to improve performance

Governance – policies and frameworks that support carbon accountability

When these elements work together, companies gain a complete view of their operations – from production output and energy consumption to workforce processes and sustainability policies.

Lessons from the energy sector

In Nigeria, progress toward decarbonisation has been more visible in sectors such as oil and gas. Many companies in this industry have already adopted digital monitoring and emissions tracking technologies, partly due to international regulatory expectations and partnerships with global organisations.

Through technology partnerships, many operators have been able to retrofit existing infrastructure with digital monitoring systems that extract new insights from long-standing equipment.

Ultimately, by implementing monitoring technologies, establishing clear governance frameworks, and leveraging digital tools to optimise operations, manufacturers can transform their decarbonisation efforts from a reporting exercise into a strategic advantage.