Africa Saad Toma, general manager for IBM Middle East and Africa, said businesses were struggling to adopt artificial intelligence due to a variety of barriers.
Toma highlighted the challenges facing African companies, including high costs, market and regulatory factors, workforce readiness, infrastructure, skills gaps, ethics and governance concerns.
“Africa has the potential to leapfrog traditional development stages by embracing AI and other advanced technologies,” the IBM general manager said in a note to The PUNCH, “but it must first overcome obstacles to AI adoption.”
Speaking at a keynote address on generative AI at the recently concluded GITEX Africa 2024 in Morocco, he urged businesses and governments to invest in developing the skills, infrastructure and regulatory frameworks needed to support the adoption of AI.
He said IBM is committed to helping African organisations adopt AI and providing a range of solutions and services to overcome challenges and maximise the benefits of AI.
Half of African CEOs surveyed in the IBM report expect to realize significant value from advanced AI and analytics.
Globally, 82% of IT professionals say IT complexity is impeding successful AI adoption, and 55% of business leaders say they lack critical information for technology spending decisions.
In October 2023, Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, discussed plans to develop a comprehensive national AI strategy for Nigeria, following the example of other African countries such as Tunisia, Mauritius and Egypt.
Last month, 120 AI researchers met to draw up a comprehensive roadmap for Nigeria's AI strategy.
The roadmap is expected to incorporate new ideas and address recent trends in AI, such as the boom in generative AI.
IBM executives suggested that organizations need to move to an AI-first approach that integrates AI into their business strategies across the entire lifecycle.
“Being AI-first enables companies to become value creators rather than just being user-focused,” he said.
Additionally, Toma highlighted that the adoption of generative AI is accelerating across the enterprise as companies look to gain competitive advantage and unlock new opportunities.
“To achieve this, organizations need to have a strong AI strategy and the right level of investment. They also need to establish and implement clear and consistent standards and guidelines for the use of AI across all strategic focus areas,” he explained.
Ejiowoke Enakilerhi, an AI researcher at RealSearch and Partners Inc., told The PUNCH there is a need to bridge the growing knowledge gap on AI in Nigeria and spark interest in the field among young people.
“Nigeria has been effective in various technological revolutions (e-commerce, blockchain, etc.) and has the opportunity to enter the AI era and make a difference,” Enakileli noted.
Researchers said businesses have a unique opportunity to harness AI for economic transformation.
“Small and medium-sized businesses can also benefit from AI-powered tools for financial forecasting, marketing optimization, and customer relationship management.
“Furthermore, AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can enhance financial inclusion by providing financial literacy training and facilitating mobile banking services in remote areas,” he explained.
