As concerns grow over the potential impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on anticipated job losses across various sectors, the Country Sales Director for Process Automation, Sub-Saharan Africa, at Schneider Electric, Elijah Daniel, has countered the narrative, noting that such fears are not supported by evidence.

Daniel, an expert in industrial AI, workforce productivity, and digital operations, noted that companies that had integrated AI into their operations were already outperforming their competitors, stressing that success in the coming decade would depend less on assets or workforce size and more on effective AI adoption and industrial intelligence.

“An OECD survey across seven countries found 83 per cent of firms that adopted AI reported no change in staffing levels. AI does not replace the skilled worker. It removes the friction that prevents the skilled worker from performing at his best,” he said.

According to PwC 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer, industries most exposed to AI have seen three times higher revenue per employee growth, 27 per cent against just 9 per cent in less exposed sectors. The Stanford AI Index reports 78 per cent of organisations used AI in 2024, up from 55 per cent the year before.

He observed that a long-standing disconnect between control rooms and field operations is limiting productivity across Africa’s industrial sectors, even as artificial intelligence (AI) promises to unlock significant economic value across the continent.

In a statement issued yesterday, he stressed that the true value of AI in industrial operations lay not in the technology itself but in the quality and depth of data used to power intelligent systems.

MEANWHILE, stakeholders in the academia, policy and digital governance have underscored the need for Africa-centred Artificial Intelligence (AI) policies, stronger data sovereignty and the preservation of indigenous knowledge systems.

The call was made during panel sessions on Volume 2: Our Digital Lives and Indigenous Pathways, part of the multi-volume anthology, Living Sustainably Here: African Perspectives on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), founded by scholar and sustainability advocate, Olatoun Gabi-Williams, at the Lagos Studies Association Conference.

The volume was discussed during two sessions held on Wednesday and Friday, bringing together contributors to examine the intersection of technology, sustainability and indigenous knowledge.

The first panel session, moderated by Ms Bisola “Bibi” Dere, was held on Wednesday and it examined the implications of emerging technologies and their relationship with sustainable development in Africa. A second session followed on Friday, continuing conversations around indigenous pathways and digital futures.

In his speech, Gabi-Williams stressed that AI development should remain human-centred and environmentally responsible, noting that technological advancement should support rather than hinder social progress and sustainability.

Gabi-Williams also raised concerns about the risks posed by unchecked AI adoption, particularly for younger generations, stressing the importance of safeguards and regulations that protect children and vulnerable communities.

Also speaking, historian and researcher, Pelumi Olatunji, said artificial intelligence was only as effective as the information provided to it, making the preservation of indigenous knowledge systems essential.

He warned against allowing technological advancement to eclipse traditional systems of knowledge and innovation, arguing that both should develop side by side.

Abdulazeez Shomade, a postgraduate scholar at the Centre for Sustainable Development, University of Ibadan, described artificial intelligence as a tool with enormous potential for climate action, urban planning and environmental conservation.

Shomade, however, expressed concern over the limited availability of datasets for African indigenous languages, noting that many AI-powered translation tools still produce inaccurate interpretations.