Digital Twin Technology in Engineering Practice: Insights from Academic and Industry Professionals in an African Developing Country Emmanuel

Digital Twin (DT) technology is becoming more relevant in engineering design and decision-making processes within the framework of Industry 4.0. While Digital Twin is fast becoming a widely adopted tool across the globe, it appears that there is little knowledge on the application of DT technology among engineers in developing countries such as Nigeria. The study assesses the extent of awareness, knowledge, perceived benefits, and challenges in adopting DT technology within Nigeria's engineering environment. This was done by administering a structured questionnaire to engineers in academia and industry from different fields of specialization. Based on Cochran’s formula, ninety-eight (98) respondents were selected, out of which seventy (70) were considered valid for analysis. The questionnaire included demographic information about the respondents, their professional backgrounds, the degree of their knowledge of DT concepts, and their level of awareness of the benefits and challenges. Descriptive statistics and the Mann–Whitney U test were used to examine differences between academic and industrial respondents. Findings suggest a significant difference in awareness: 84% of academics knew the term, compared with 51% in industry. Nonetheless, almost all respondents in each group reported a lack of DT-related education, suggesting that awareness is largely self- acquired. Furthermore, both categories considered the following benefits of DT to be the most valuable: real- time monitoring & control (mean=4.17), predictive maintenance (mean=4.11), and safety improvements (mean=4.07). Regarding adoption challenges, lack of awareness (mean = 4.29), limited technical infrastructure (mean = 4.14), and insufficient technical expertise (mean = 4.07) were identified as the most critical barriers. The results indicate critical gaps in the adoption of DT technology from awareness to implementation within the Nigerian engineering community. This study highlights the need for curriculum integration, capacity development, public-private sector partnerships, and conducive policy environments to enhance digital transformation both in the engineering industry and education in Sub-Saha