Nigeria: Tap into $21.14bn digital twin market, Schneider Electric expert urges

Elijah Daniel, Sales Director for Process Automation, Sub-Saharan Africa at Schneider Electric, has urged Nigerian industrial organisations to adopt digital twins technology to secure sustainable returns on investment. He says the global digital twin market is projected to grow from about $21.14bn in 2025 to over $149.81bn by 2030.

What is a digital twin?

A digital twin is a virtual representation of a physical object or system that uses real-time data to mirror the behaviour, performance and conditions of its real-world counterpart. Daniel said the technology is built to solve operational problems, and that adoption across manufacturing, energy, infrastructure and process industries in Nigeria would improve asset reliability and optimise production.

In a statement titled 'Digital Twins Deliver Value Only When Built Around Business Outcomes', Daniel said digital twins are among the most talked-about technologies in industry, but many projects fail to deliver expected returns. He blamed this on organisations prioritising technology deployment over clearly defined business outcomes.

Fragmented data is the core challenge

Quoting a MarketsandMarkets report, Daniel said the market growth is driven by increased adoption across manufacturing, energy, infrastructure and process industries. He explained: “At their core, digital twins seek to address one of engineering’s longest standing challenges: fragmented data across disciplines”.

He noted that mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and process engineering teams often work in separate environments, producing inconsistent datasets, duplicated work and limited visibility that can lead to costly project delays. “By creating a shared engineering data environment, organisations can generate deliverables from a common source of truth, improving collaboration throughout the asset lifecycle,” he added.

Relevance for Africa and Nigeria

Daniel said modern digital engineering platforms combine design information with operational data from control systems, sensors, maintenance records and performance monitoring tools. This enables activities from engineering design and project execution to operations, asset performance management and process optimisation within a connected ecosystem.

He said the approach is increasingly relevant for Africa, where governments and private operators are investing in energy infrastructure, manufacturing and industrial modernisation. “As these projects become increasingly complex, integrated engineering platforms offer significant opportunities to improve project delivery, reduce rework, and enhance asset reliability,” he said.

But Daniel warned that successful implementation goes beyond software capabilities. According to him, “Advanced digital twin architectures frequently rely on integrations with enterprise systems, cloud platforms, operational historians, weather data, ERP applications, and machine learning models. While these capabilities can unlock predictive maintenance, renewable energy forecasting, and operational optimisation, they also require mature data governance, reliable historical data, and organisational readiness.”

He added: “Without these foundational capabilities, sophisticated digital twin deployments risk becoming technology demonstrations rather than operational assets. Organisations that establish trusted, connected data environments are better positioned to deploy advanced analytics, automation, and predictive maintenance solutions that deliver measurable business value.”

What this means for Nigerian businesses

For Nigerian manufacturers, energy firms and infrastructure operators, the message is clear: digital twins only pay off when business outcomes come first. Companies that build strong data systems before chasing flashy technology stand a better chance of seeing real returns and staying competitive as the global market expands.