Manufacturing and industrial companies across Africa are increasingly integrating artificial intelligence into their operations as they seek to improve productivity, strengthen efficiency and remain competitive in a rapidly evolving global economy.
The growing adoption of AI is helping businesses connect frontline workers with real-time operational insights, reducing dependence on disconnected systems and manual processes that often delay decisions across industrial facilities.
The Country Sales Director for Process Automation, Sub-Saharan Africa at Schneider Electric, Elijah Daniel, said companies that successfully combine artificial intelligence with operational data would be better positioned to improve performance, minimise downtime and gain a competitive edge.
Daniel noted that the greatest value comes from how organisations make use of years of accumulated operational information, including maintenance logs, process records, equipment performance data and alarm histories.
“The goal was never more data. The goal is the right insight at the right moment, with a clear action attached,” he said in a statement made available to The PUNCH.
His remarks come as industries worldwide continue expanding the use of AI for predictive maintenance, operational planning and workforce support.
According to projections by the African Development Bank, AI could contribute as much as $1tn to Africa’s economy by 2035, with mining, manufacturing, oil and gas, and energy expected to be among the major beneficiaries.
Daniel explained that many industrial organisations have long experienced a disconnect between personnel monitoring operations in control rooms and technicians working directly on equipment in the field.
He said the information gap has contributed to lower efficiency, particularly in parts of Africa where technical expertise is limited and industrial assets are spread across wide geographical locations.
He added that industrial AI differs from general-purpose AI because it relies on an organisation’s own operational data instead of publicly available information.
Several companies have already reported substantial gains from deploying AI. Abu Dhabi National Oil Company announced $500bn in AI-generated value in 2023, while Equinor reported AI-related savings of $130m in 2025. Consultancy firm Rystad Energy estimates that AI and digital technologies could generate almost $500bn in value for global oil and gas firms between 2026 and 2030.
Daniel also highlighted improvements in access to operational information, saying field personnel can now obtain the same real-time insights previously available only to operators in control rooms.
He referenced technology developed by Schneider Electric in partnership with industrial software company AVEVA, which enables technicians to interact with systems trained on the operational history of individual assets and receive maintenance guidance before beginning repairs.
“A field worker with the same live information in his hands as the operator in the control room, real-time process data, equipment history and maintenance records, all in one place, wherever he stands, is what we consider the holy grail of operations,” Daniel said.
The company said its connected-worker approach is designed to give engineers, technicians and operators instant access to shared operational information from any location.
Daniel cited research indicating that businesses adopting AI are pulling ahead of competitors. PwC’s 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer found that sectors with greater AI adoption recorded revenue-per-employee growth of 27 per cent, compared with nine per cent in industries with lower AI exposure.
He also referenced the Stanford AI Index, which reported that 78 per cent of organisations had adopted AI in 2024, up from 55 per cent the previous year.
Responding to concerns that AI could replace workers, Daniel pointed to findings from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showing that 83 per cent of companies implementing AI experienced no change in workforce numbers.
“AI does not replace the skilled worker. It removes the friction that prevents the skilled worker from performing at his best,” he said.
Looking ahead, Daniel said industrial operations will increasingly depend on mobile access to operational intelligence instead of relying solely on traditional control rooms.
“The most successful organisations ahead will not be those with the best technology. They will be those with the most empowered workforce,” he said.