Industry professionals has reiterated the need for manufacturers to move beyond AI experimentation and embrace practical, scalable solutions that can boost productivity, strengthen competitiveness and deliver measurable economic value across the region.
They argue that Artificial intelligence could unlock billions of dollars in economic value for Africa’s manufacturing sector, but companies must first address weaknesses in data, infrastructure, energy and technical skills.
Stakeholders at the recent GITEX Nigeria 2026 explored how artificial intelligence can be practically deployed across the manufacturing sector.
Speaking during a session filled with excitement, fresh ideas and solutions-driven contributions, Ian Leslie, Chief Information Officer of Dangote Cement, said that African manufacturers have an opportunity to use AI to leapfrog decades of legacy industrial systems that have slowed digital transformation in more developed markets.
Leslie said that AI should not be viewed as a substitute for fixing the continent’s fundamental industrial weaknesses.
According to him, the problem with automation in manufacturing worldwide is fragmented, poor-quality data, which is locked into proprietary systems that were never designed to share it,’ he stated.
‘One of the genuine advantages I think Africa does have is the absence of legacy,’ ‘New capacity can be born digital rather than retrofitted,’Leslie said.
He further said that manufacturers across the continent face pressure to improve productivity and compete in a global market where advanced technologies are increasingly being deployed to optimise production, supply chains and industrial operations.
The GITEX Nigeria provides an important platform for those connections, bringing together the innovators, entrepreneurs and organisations driving Africa’s digital transformation.
The event also included discussions that centred on productivity, operational efficiency, return on investment, workforce augmentation, and the critical role of data and digital infrastructure in driving AI adoption at scale.
Building Africa’s next digital chapter Africa’s digital opportunity is therefore about more than moving services online or increasing digital transactions. It is about creating the infrastructure and conditions that allow digital participation on to translate into broader economic opportunity.