By Paul Chimodo
Dr Tom Ilube, a UK-based tech entrepreneur, has emphasised the need for Africa to seize the opportunities presented by Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drive innovation and development.
Ilube said this during the Science and Technology Conference organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) ICT Group on Saturday in Lagos.
Highlighting the rapid advancements in AI globally, Ilube stressed that while some may harbor fears about the technology, the focus should be on the immense opportunities it presented for the continent.
He emphasised that Africa currently found itself in a precarious position, stating that it was yet to fully maximise the potential of artificial intelligence, while other global powers were making substantial investments in AI.
Ilube cited significant financial commitments of nations like South Korea and China to their AI industries, in comparison to pan-African, billion-dollar investments.
“There could be widespread job displacement over the next two to three decades as AI becomes capable of performing many tasks faster, cheaper, and better than humans.
“Unlike previous industrial shifts driven by natural resources, the AI revolution is primarily driven by intellectual capital, positioning Africa to compete on a level playing field,” he said.
Ilube underscored the need for Africa to transform into a smart and intelligent continent to capitalise on this unique opportunity.
He noted that there was still time for Africa to become an early mover in the AI space, which would yield direct economic benefits.
Explaining the essence of AI, Ilube described it as technology-enabling machines which perform tasks requiring human intelligence, automating complex processes, and providing valuable insights from vast datasets.
He cited compelling success stories, including AI achieving significant efficiency gains in software development and even surpassing human engineers in software quality.
Ilube also explained AI’s capability to handle customer service across multiple languages and its revolutionary potential in healthcare diagnostics.
He highlighted change management within organisations as the primary challenge in adopting AI, rather than the technology itself.
“We need to start using tools like agentic AI, where software agents autonomously solve problems based on instructions, and multimodal AI, which can interact with various forms of data like text, voice, and video,” he said.
Ilube stressed the rapid progress in AI with examples of sophisticated natural language processing, realistic AI-generated videos, and even AI capable of understanding and expressing emotions.
He noted that by now in Africa the use of self-driving cars should be a normal thing as some countries were already in that space of AI advancement.
“There is a critical need for local adaptation of AI technologies to suit the specific context and needs of Africa.
“AI possesses the potential to help Africa leapfrog infrastructure gaps and revolutionise sectors such as healthcare, education, entrepreneurship, and agriculture,” he said.
He acknowledged that while potential risks like data privacy and bias needed to be managed responsibly, they should not hinder the adoption of AI.
“Nigerian businesses and entrepreneurs need to start small with AI projects while thinking big about its transformative potential, ” Ilube said.
In her remarks, Mrs Ronke Adeyegbe, Chairman of the LCCI ICT Group, noted that the conference was centred around a theme that was both timely and transformational.
She highlighted that the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry would continue to play a pivotal role in providing platforms for dialogue, policy-making, and innovation.
Adeyegbe added that it would also ensure that emerging technologies are applied in ways that truly transformed lives, businesses, and institutions.
She said that the chamber would continue to foster an enabling environment for digital adoption, solution providers, regulators, and business leaders to share insights.
She added that it would also showcase advancements, and shape policy frameworks that supported the impactful use of technologies.