Honeywell Technologies has launched its Forge Plant Cognition artificial intelligence platform at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Nigeria, in a move aimed at improving industrial efficiency and strengthening the refinery’s operational performance.
Announced on October 26, 2026, the platform combines Honeywell’s industrial expertise with artificial intelligence capabilities from NVIDIA and computing infrastructure from Dell Technologies. It is designed to help engineers identify production bottlenecks, detect potential equipment problems and make better-informed operational decisions.
According to Honeywell, the system will analyse refinery operating data alongside engineering knowledge and industrial process models to identify opportunities for improving production, reducing unplanned downtime and increasing operational efficiency.
The company estimates that the technology could generate more than $60 million in gross annual operational benefits when the refinery operates at full capacity. However, this is a preliminary projection, not a guaranteed saving, and excludes implementation costs.
AI Moves Beyond Software into Industrial Operations.
The deployment highlights how artificial intelligence is expanding beyond consumer applications and office productivity tools into complex industrial environments.
At the Dangote refinery, the platform is intended to support local engineers and operators by making specialised process knowledge more accessible and helping them troubleshoot operational challenges.
The initiative also aligns with Dangote’s broader plans to expand refinery capacity and develop Nigerian technical talent.
For Nigeria’s technology ecosystem, the project demonstrates an emerging opportunity in industrial AI, where software developers, engineers and infrastructure providers can contribute to improving the performance of major industrial facilities.
The actual benefits will depend on implementation, operating conditions and the results achieved after deployment.
