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Essential functions for AI transformation to fuel Africa’s growth
By Linda Saunders, Country Manager & Senior Director Solution Engineering, Africa, Salesforce
I’ve just returned from Dreamforce 2025 in San Francisco, where leaders from around the world were talking about what comes next in the “agentic era” – a future where AI systems don’t just automate tasks, but plan, reason and act independently to achieve complex goals. What struck me most is how relevant these conversations are to Africa right now.
Across the continent, businesses are being asked to do more with less. They’re expected to grow faster and serve more people, but budgets and teams aren’t growing at the same pace. AI can help bridge that gap: not by being a shiny new tool, but by becoming a dependable partner that takes on the heavy lifting. To get there, we need more than technology. We need the right functions inside our organisations to guide and manage this adjustment so that it remains safe, ethical and genuinely useful.
From where I sit, these five functions are essential for any African business preparing for this new era:
1. AI agent management: Turning ideas into action
This role ensures that AI is used for the right reasons and for clear business outcomes. It starts with identifying where AI can make a measurable difference, whether that’s improving customer service, speeding up internal processes, or advancing financial inclusion, something we’ve already seen by companies like Absa, which is using AI to deliver faster, more accessible banking services.
Given the understandable skepticism around AI in Africa, especially concerns about job losses or data misuse, anyone using an AI agent must show real, practical benefits. It’s time to move from experiments to work that actually matters.
2. AI risk and governance: Building trust from the start
AI use is impactful when people trust it, which requires strong safety barriers from the very start.
Africa faces a unique challenge: many global AI models are trained on data that doesn’t reflect our languages, cultures or contexts, which can create bias, errors, and even harm in some cases, as we’ve seen with content systems that fail to moderate hate speech in African languages.
Robust AI governance, people, process and technology puts the right checks in place: bias testing, transparency reviews, data protection and ongoing monitoring. This isn’t about introducing more red tape; it’s about building and maintaining trust. If AI tools are going to act and make decisions independently, the safeguards must be solid, visible and consistent.
3. AI operations management: Scaling for dependability
The reality is that most – almost 95% – AI pilots fail. Often it’s because companies try to build everything from scratch, only to run into security risks, bad data or runaway costs.
In Africa, failed pilots are even more painful because budgets are tighter. The AI operations management function prevents this. It handles the day-to-day running of AI systems, by deploying them properly, keeping them stable, monitoring performance and making sure they stay secure.
Working inside this function is the AI platform engineer, whose job is technical and hands-on: they connect agents, data and applications into a single, reliable workflow. They make sure the system runs smoothly around the clock and can deploy digital labour when demand grows.
AI management teams must keep the operation steady and aligned with the organisation’s needs; the platform engineer makes the machinery actually work.
4. AI Workforce Training & Development: Bridging tech and talent
Technology only works when people understand how and when to use it. This is where the training function becomes critical.
A significant digital literacy gap exists, with only half of African countries including computer skills in their school curricula. The AI learning and development manager must prioritise structured training, moving from basic AI awareness to role-specific capability development, ensuring employees are prepared for the “human-agent collaboration” that defines the future of work. Salesforce’s latest Slack Workforce Index shows people using AI are 81% more satisfied with their job than those who aren’t, making training a critical function for talent attraction and retention.
5. AI workforce integration: Augmenting human potential
This is about fostering seamless, productive collaboration between human employees and AI systems. The goal is to augment human capabilities, enabling employees to focus on creative and strategic tasks and reduce friction.
By automating repetitive and time-consuming activities, AI can free employees to focus on high-value work and strategic initiatives. We’ve seen real-world success, such as Secret Escapes increasing autonomous resolution rates from 10% to 30%, which allows human employees to focus on higher-value interactions. The AI collaboration strategist defines the essential interaction points and optimises collaboration models to ensure AI enhances our human ingenuity.
Africa’s opportunity in the agentic era
The move toward agentic systems isn’t just another tech upgrade. It changes how work actually gets done. For Africa, it’s a real opportunity because it has the potential to deliver better public services, faster responses, and the ability to grow without inflating limited budgets.
These five functions, from governance to workforce integration, give organisations the structure they need to use AI safely and effectively. Without them, AI is guesswork, but with them, it becomes something that can genuinely support growth.
After witnessing many AI success stories at Dreamforce, one thought kept surfacing: while success and profit are noble causes, Africa has a duty to set the bar higher and use AI as an opportunity to elevate its people and solve real human problems.
Can we, as Africans, afford to miss this opportunity to make meaningful change on a continent that knows too well the price we pay for being left behind? Africa’s AI success starts with each of us taking up the responsibility to participate, develop ourselves, train our people, rethink our workflows, and place skills where they’ll make the biggest difference. We need AI solutions that reflect our values and serve our people.
Mr. Charles Ebuebu, director General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), has called on Nigerian content creators to actively participate in the country’s Digital Switchover (DSO), describing the transition as a major opportunity for visibility, revenue growth, and industry collaboration.
Mr. Charles Ebuebu, DG, NBC
Speaking as Special Guest of Honour at the induction ceremony of the Electronic Media Content Owners Association of Nigeria (EMCOAN) in Lagos, Ebuebu stressed that the success of the DSO depends on engaging content to populate the nation’s new digital channels.
“Without content, the DSO’s success would be incomplete. We are urging content owners to collaborate with the Commission to ensure Nigeria’s digital future is rich, diverse, and sustainable,” he said.
The NBC boss highlighted that the upcoming FreeTV Direct-to-Home (DTH) platform, along with its mobile applications, would provide content creators with nationwide reach, advanced analytics, and brand partnership opportunities.
Nigeria’s DSO, which marks the shift from analogue to digital broadcasting, is being implemented by the NBC using the Nigcomsat satellite infrastructure. The programme aims to deliver over 100 nationwide channels and expand access to Nigerians in remote areas via hybrid decoders, addressing long-standing infrastructure and funding challenges. The project, which has experienced delays since 2012, now has strong government backing and is scheduled for launch in April 2026.
Ebuebu commended EMCOAN members for their contributions to strengthening Nigeria’s creative economy and encouraged them to leverage the opportunities offered by the DSO to promote local stories, culture, and creativity on both national and global stages.
During the ceremony, EMCOAN honoured its distinguished members, naming Wale Adenuga, MFR, as Grand Patron and Mr. Yinka Adebayo as Patron.
Prominent figures in the broadcasting content industry, including Wale Adenuga, Opa Williams, Agatha Amata, Jibe Ologeh, High Chief Emeka Ossai, Debbie Odetayo, Amina Mohammed, and Frank Elaboya, attended the event.
Representing the NBC at the event was Mr. Ralph Akpan, director of the Lagos Zone, while EMCOAN president, Mr. Adeniji Omirin, MD of ADNOM Media, urged members to fully engage in the digital switchover.
Canal+ is to cut jobs at MultiChoice as part of a sweeping restructuring plan aimed at stabilising the African pay-TV operator, following years of operational and financial pressure.
The move comes alongside a planned $115 million capital injection, underscoring the urgency of efforts to revive the business after the French media group took control.
The planned layoffs are expected to form a core element of a broader cost-cutting and efficiency drive, as Canal+ seeks to streamline MultiChoice’s operations and improve profitability.
The restructuring signals a shift toward leaner operations, with a focus on eliminating redundancies and optimising the company’s cost base.
MultiChoice has struggled in recent years with declining subscriber numbers across key African markets, weighed down by macroeconomic pressures, currency volatility, and changing consumer behaviour.
The rise of global streaming platforms has intensified competition, chipping away at the company’s traditional pay-TV dominance.
Canal+’s intervention marks a pivotal moment for MultiChoice, reflecting a more aggressive approach to repositioning the business.
By combining fresh capital with structural reforms, the new owners are aiming to both stabilise short-term performance and lay the groundwork for longer-term growth.
The $115 million injection is expected to provide immediate financial relief, supporting operations and potential strategic initiatives.
However, the accompanying job cuts highlight the depth of the challenges facing the company and the scale of transformation required to restore competitiveness.
Nigeria has ranked first globally in the ownership of the two largest stablecoins, Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC), reflecting the country’s growing reliance on dollar-linked digital assets.
USDT, USDC
Stablecoins such as USDT and USDC are designed to maintain a fixed value against the U.S. dollar, allowing users to store money digitally while avoiding the price volatility associated with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
According to the 2026 Stablecoin Utility Report released by BVNK, about 59 percent of Nigerian crypto users hold USDT, while 48 percent own USDC, giving the country the highest combined ownership rate among all nations surveyed.
The report placed Nigeria ahead of several major economies, including Australia and India, highlighting the country’s strong adoption of dollar-denominated digital assets. Australia ranked second with 34 percent USDT ownership and 29 percent USDC, while India placed third with 30 percent USDT and 27 percent USDC holdings.
The study also examined adoption levels across other regions. Countries such as Colombia and Singapore showed strong usage of both stablecoins, while adoption levels were also notable in South Africa and the United States.
Other markets included in the analysis were Philippines, Thailand and Argentina, where stablecoin ownership has also increased significantly. Among European economies, the report said France and Germany showed moderate levels of adoption, while Latin American markets such as Mexico and Brazil recorded smaller but growing usage rates.
The United Kingdom also appeared in the ranking with modest levels of stablecoin ownership. The report noted that USDT ownership exceeds USDC in many countries, including Nigeria, Australia, India, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Argentina and France.
However, USDC is often viewed as a more compliance-focused stablecoin because of its stronger transparency and regulatory alignment. In some markets, including South Africa, Colombia, Germany and Brazil, the report found that USDC adoption slightly exceeds USDT.
More broadly, the data suggests that stablecoin adoption is being driven largely by emerging economies rather than advanced financial markets. According to the report, countries such as Nigeria, Argentina and the Philippines are among the biggest users of stablecoins, where people increasingly rely on dollar-pegged digital assets to protect savings from currency volatility and facilitate cross-border payments.
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