Vendor-independent Unified Control Centres for East Africa

Executive summary

East African operators often need to connect rapidly expanding and geographically distributed assets while preserving local operational autonomy. Panorama Suite addresses that need as a vendor-independent OT/IT Data Management Platform for Unified Control Centres, without requiring the asset owner to standardise every field device or controller on one equipment brand.

Country-level scoping may begin in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia or another East African market. ZEK's announced CODRA territory is Tanzania; the commercial, integration and support route for other countries is coordinated separately.

The partnership combines CODRA's independently engineered software platform with ZEK Group International's Tanzania-based market presence. In other East African countries, CODRA's Johannesburg office coordinates direct engagement and can help identify a suitable certified System Integrator Partner in the country or a neighbouring market.

CODRA and ZEK Group International in Tanzania

ZEK Group International is a diversified private investment group headquartered in Dar es Salaam. The company reports more than 500 employees and a business presence in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and South Africa. Its CODRA appointment brings Panorama Suite closer to Tanzanian operators, EPCs, system integrators and industrial organisations. ZEK's wider corporate presence does not extend its CODRA distribution territory beyond Tanzania.

For company information and contact channels, visit ZEK Group International. Its Tanzania distribution role is published on CODRA's official distributor network page.

A platform for a Unified Control Centre, not one isolated application

Panorama Suite is an OT/IT Data Management Platform for Unified Control Centres. SCADA is one of several applications supported by the platform, alongside GeoSCADA, BMS, EMS, Historian, PSIM and MES. The same foundation can bring these applications together in a vendor-independent Unified Control Centre.

This distinction matters for mixed estates. An operator may need to retain existing PLCs, RTUs, BMS controllers, meters, security subsystems and specialist applications while standardising data, alarms, history, reporting and operator workflows. The platform approach creates a consistent operational layer without making the software commercially dependent on one equipment range.

Read Panorama Suite for Africa: an OT/IT Data Management Platform for Unified Control Centres for the product architecture, interoperability, cybersecurity, Edge-to-Service and AI-assisted fault-detection context.

Applications and sectors in the East African context

The first application should follow the operational need, not a predetermined product label. Potential routes include:

• SCADA and GeoSCADA: monitoring, control and geospatial operations for energy, water, transport and distributed infrastructure;
• BMS and EMS: unified building operations, energy performance and resource visibility across sites;
• Historian and MES: production context, traceability, quality, maintenance and enterprise data exchange;
• PSIM: operational and physical-security information brought into a common control-centre view;
• Unified Control Centres: several operational applications, sites and equipment families coordinated through a common data and engineering model.

East African opportunities span energy and utilities, water, transport, buildings, data centres, manufacturing, mining and other distributed infrastructure. Every project still needs an installed-base assessment, protocol validation and a clear division of operational and cybersecurity responsibilities.

Design the regional delivery model with the architecture

East Africa combines fast-growing cities, cross-border infrastructure and geographically distributed assets. ZEK is the country distributor for Tanzania. Elsewhere, the commercial and delivery route is organised directly with CODRA's Johannesburg office and suitable certified integration partners.

IT/OT convergence in Africa: connect the business without weakening operations covers the boundaries, governance and resilience controls that should accompany this architecture.

How to start a Tanzania or East Africa programme

1. Define the operational outcome: the decisions, alarms, control actions or performance improvements the first scope must support.
2. Map the installed base: equipment families, protocols, current applications, data quality, networks and lifecycle constraints.
3. Set the application boundary: decide whether the first deliverable is a SCADA, GeoSCADA, BMS, EMS, Historian, PSIM or MES application, or a multi-application control-centre layer.
4. Agree delivery ownership: in Tanzania, identify CODRA, ZEK, integrator and customer responsibilities. Elsewhere, define the responsibilities of CODRA, the selected certified integrator and the customer.
5. Validate a focused use case: confirm interoperability, operator usability, resilience and support processes before scaling across sites.

Primary sources

• CODRA: Panorama distributor network, including ZEK Group International in Tanzania
• ZEK Group International company website
• CODRA: Johannesburg Africa business and technical office
• CODRA: find a certified integration partner
• CODRA: Panorama Suite software platform
• CODRA: certifications and commitments
• CODRA: Panorama Edge-to-Service

Frequently asked questions