E-Business

AI in African Marketing: Transforming Customer Engagement and Efficiency

Published

2 years ago

June 12, 2024

Comms Week

Reuben Kalu, Marketing and Business Development Expert

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By Reuben Kalu

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing industries globally, and marketing is no exception. For organizations in Africa, adopting AI marketing strategies presents a significant opportunity to enhance competitiveness, drive growth, and navigate the complexities of the digital landscape.

AI in African Marketing: Transforming Customer Engagement and Efficiency

This essay explores how African organizations can effectively leverage AI marketing to gain a competitive edge, focusing on the benefits, strategies, and practical applications.

Understanding AI Marketing

AI marketing involves using artificial intelligence technologies to analyze data, automate tasks, and optimize marketing efforts.

It encompasses a wide range of tools and techniques, including machine learning, natural language processing, predictive analytics, and chatbot automation.

These technologies enable marketers to gain deeper insights into consumer behavior, personalize marketing campaigns, and improve overall efficiency.

Benefits of AI Marketing for African Organizations

Enhanced Customer Insights:

AI tools can analyze vast amounts of data to uncover patterns and trends that provide valuable insights into customer preferences and behaviors.

This enables organizations to tailor their marketing strategies to better meet the needs and expectations of their target audience.

Personalized Marketing:

AI allows for hyper-personalization of marketing campaigns.

By analyzing individual customer data, organizations can create personalized content, offers, and recommendations, leading to higher engagement rates and improved customer satisfaction.

Improved Efficiency and Productivity:

AI can automate repetitive marketing tasks such as data analysis, content creation, and customer segmentation.

This frees up time for marketers to focus on strategic activities and creative thinking, thereby increasing overall productivity.

Predictive Analytics:

AI-powered predictive analytics can forecast future trends, consumer behavior, and market dynamics. This helps organizations to make data-driven decisions, optimize marketing strategies, and stay ahead of the competition.

Cost Savings:

By automating routine tasks and optimizing marketing efforts, AI can reduce operational costs. Additionally, more targeted and effective marketing campaigns lead to better returns on investment (ROI).

Strategies for Implementing AI Marketing

Invest in Data Infrastructure

The foundation of effective AI marketing is high-quality data. Organizations need to invest in robust data infrastructure to collect, store, and manage data from various sources. This includes customer data, social media interactions, website analytics, and sales records. Implementing data management platforms (DMPs) and customer relationship management (CRM) systems can help in organizing and leveraging data for AI applications.

Adopt AI Tools and Platforms

There are numerous AI tools and platforms available that cater to different aspects of marketing. Organizations should evaluate their specific needs and choose the right tools to integrate into their marketing operations. Some popular AI marketing tools include:

Google Analytics: For data analysis and insights.

HubSpot: For marketing automation and CRM.

Hootsuite: For social media management.

IBM Watson: For advanced AI applications like predictive analytics and chatbot automation.

Focus on Customer Experience

AI can significantly enhance customer experience by providing personalized and timely interactions. Implementing AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can offer 24/7 customer support, answer queries, and assist with transactions. Additionally, using AI to analyze customer feedback and sentiment can help in improving products and services.

Leverage Predictive Analytics

Predictive analytics uses historical data and machine learning algorithms to predict future outcomes. African organizations can leverage predictive analytics to forecast demand, identify emerging trends, and optimize marketing campaigns. For instance, retailers can use predictive analytics to manage inventory and reduce stockouts.

Create Personalized Content

AI can help in creating personalized content that resonates with the target audience. Content recommendation engines, powered by AI, can suggest relevant articles, videos, or products to individual users based on their past behavior and preferences. This enhances user engagement and drives conversions.

Optimize Ad Campaigns

AI can optimize advertising campaigns by analyzing performance data and making real-time adjustments. Programmatic advertising platforms use AI to automatically buy and place ads in the most effective channels, targeting the right audience at the right time. This improves ad performance and reduces wasted ad spend.

Train and Upskill Employees

To successfully implement AI marketing, organizations need to invest in training and upskilling their employees. Marketing teams should be well-versed in AI technologies and their applications. Providing training programs, workshops, and certifications can help in building the necessary skills and knowledge.

Collaborate with AI Experts

Collaborating with AI experts and technology partners can provide valuable insights and guidance. Organizations can work with AI consultants, data scientists, and technology vendors to develop and implement effective AI marketing strategies. These collaborations can also help in staying updated with the latest AI trends and innovations.

Practical Applications of AI Marketing in African Organizations

Retail Industry

The retail industry in Africa can benefit immensely from AI marketing. By analyzing customer data, retailers can understand shopping patterns, preferences, and trends. AI can also help in managing inventory, predicting demand, and optimizing pricing strategies. Personalized marketing campaigns can drive customer loyalty and increase sales.

Financial Services

AI marketing can transform the financial services sector by providing personalized financial advice, automating customer support, and detecting fraudulent activities. Banks and financial institutions can use AI to analyze transaction data, identify potential risks, and offer tailored financial products and services to customers.

Healthcare

In the healthcare sector, AI can improve patient engagement and communication. AI-powered chatbots can provide instant responses to patient queries, schedule appointments, and offer medical advice. Predictive analytics can help in identifying health trends and managing resources effectively.

Travel and Tourism

The travel and tourism industry can leverage AI to enhance customer experience and streamline operations. AI can analyze travel data to offer personalized travel recommendations, optimize pricing, and manage bookings. Chatbots can provide real-time assistance to travelers, helping with itineraries, reservations, and travel updates.

Agriculture

AI can revolutionize agriculture in Africa by providing data-driven insights into crop management, weather patterns, and soil conditions. Farmers can use AI to optimize irrigation, predict crop yields, and manage pests. AI-powered platforms can connect farmers with buyers, improving market access and profitability.

Education

In the education sector, AI can personalize learning experiences, automate administrative tasks, and provide insights into student performance. Educational institutions can use AI to offer tailored learning programs, monitor student progress, and identify areas for improvement.

Case Studies of AI Marketing Success in Africa

Jumia

Jumia, Africa’s leading e-commerce platform, has successfully integrated AI into its marketing strategies. By analyzing customer data, Jumia offers personalized product recommendations and targeted marketing campaigns. AI-powered chatbots provide instant customer support, enhancing the shopping experience.

MTN

MTN, a major telecommunications company in Africa, uses AI to optimize its marketing efforts.

By leveraging predictive analytics, MTN can identify customer churn, personalize offers, and improve customer retention.

AI-driven insights help in understanding customer preferences and tailoring marketing strategies accordingly.

Flutterwave

Flutterwave, a leading fintech company in Africa, uses AI to enhance its financial services. AI-powered fraud detection systems help in identifying and preventing fraudulent transactions. Personalized marketing campaigns drive customer engagement and increase the adoption of Flutterwave’s payment solutions.

Challenges and Considerations

While the benefits of AI marketing are significant, there are also challenges that African organizations need to consider:

Data Privacy and Security:

Collecting and analyzing customer data raises concerns about privacy and security. Organizations must ensure compliance with data protection regulations and implement robust security measures to protect sensitive information.

Cost and Resource Constraints:

Implementing AI marketing requires significant investment in technology, infrastructure, and talent. Organizations with limited resources may find it challenging to adopt AI solutions. Exploring partnerships and collaborations can help mitigate these constraints.

Talent Shortage:

There is a shortage of skilled AI professionals in Africa. Organizations need to invest in training and development programs to build the necessary expertise. Collaborating with academic institutions and technology partners can also help in addressing this talent gap.

Cultural and Market Diversity:

Africa is a diverse continent with varying cultural and market dynamics. AI marketing strategies need to be tailored to local contexts and preferences. Understanding regional differences and customizing approaches can enhance the effectiveness of AI marketing campaigns.

Conclusion

AI marketing presents a transformative opportunity for African organizations to enhance their competitiveness and drive growth.

By investing in data infrastructure, adopting AI tools, and focusing on customer experience, organizations can unlock the full potential of AI marketing.

Practical applications across various industries, such as retail, financial services, healthcare, travel, agriculture, and education, demonstrate the versatility and impact of AI.

Despite the challenges, the benefits of AI marketing far outweigh the risks. By addressing data privacy concerns, managing resource constraints, building talent, and understanding cultural diversity, African organizations can successfully implement AI marketing strategies.

Embracing AI marketing will not only improve marketing efficiency but also contribute to the overall economic development of the continent.

In conclusion, the future of marketing in Africa lies in the intelligent use of AI. Organizations that proactively adopt and integrate AI marketing will be better positioned to compete in the global market, drive innovation, and achieve sustainable growth.

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E-Business

PwC Reveals AI Scaling Gap Slows Africa’s Digital Transformation

Published

6 hours ago

February 7, 2026

Chike Onwuegbuchi

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African CEOs continue to trail their global counterparts in deploying artificial intelligence (AI) across business functions, as they remain stuck in experimental AI phases, finding it difficult to scale initiatives into enterprise-wide deployments.

This is one of the key findings of PwC’s 29th Global CEO Survey: Africa perspective. It found that more than 150 CEOs in Africa who participated in the survey demonstrate strong operational resilience and reinvention as they navigate currency fluctuations, political uncertainty, infrastructure constraints and supply chain disruptions.

It highlights a slower pace of digital transformation that could limit long-term competitiveness in Africa. While awareness and early adoption of AI are growing, enterprise-wide deployment remains limited, according to the survey.

The survey was conducted from 30 September to 10 November 2025 and surveyed 4 454 CEOs across 95 countries, including Africa.

Skills shortages, fragmented data governance, underdeveloped cloud infrastructure and risk-averse investment strategies are preventing African organisations from moving beyond pilot projects into full-scale AI-driven transformation, it finds.

“AI adoption in Africa is real, but scaling it across the enterprise remains a challenge,” says Christiaan Nel, AI Africa leader at PwC South Africa. “Caution must be balanced with urgency − those investing modestly today risk falling behind competitors scaling rapidly.”

Finding their way

Despite these challenges, African CEOs demonstrate strong operational resilience. The survey shows that 81% are optimistic about improving economic conditions, well above the global average of 65%, while 47% are confident about revenue growth over the next year.

The survey underscores that AI adoption highlights a broader reinvention gap. Only 41% of CEOs have clear AI roadmaps, and 37% formalised responsible AI processes. Skills availability remains a major barrier, with just 37% confident in sourcing and retaining talent for AI initiatives.

PwC research shows that when AI is implemented effectively, African companies experience tangible benefits: 56% report increased employee productivity, 53% gain executive time, 23% see revenue growth, and 25% achieve cost reductions. This confirms that AI can drive efficiency and transformation, but only if infrastructure, governance and investment keep pace, notes the study.

Vikas Sharma, Africa cyber leader at PwC Mauritius, explains: “The challenge is structural. Fragmented cloud environments, unclear data governance and underdeveloped cyber security make scaling AI difficult. Without these foundations, AI initiatives remain tactical rather than transformational.”

Beyond AI, CEOs are using technology to reinvent products, reach new customers and modernise operations. PwC highlights that cloud, analytics and digital frameworks are essential enablers for enterprise-wide AI, helping leaders move from experimentation to transformation.

Importantly, African organisations are using technology to augment rather than replace employees, maintaining workforce stability while improving productivity, it states.

Ambition versus execution

Although 55% of African CEOs consider innovation critical to strategy, only 13% are willing to take high risks in innovation projects.

Underlying capabilities reveal the challenge: just 16% operate dedicated innovation centres, 25% have processes to stop underperforming research and development, and 29% rapidly test ideas with customers.

Lullu Krugel, chief economist and ESG leader at PwC South Africa, adds: “The leaders who build enduring businesses protect their core while creating the future. Operational strength alone is not enough; transformation must be bolder.”

Investment restraint is evident: 59% of respondents report little to no change in IT spending, and only 8% are willing to make large investments despite geopolitical uncertainty. Confidence in acquisitions is lower than the global average, with 40% planning growth through acquisition, compared to 46% globally.

Yet diversification offers a competitive-edge. Nearly half of African CEOs have entered new sectors through services and product offerings in the past five years, generating 24% of revenue from these ventures. Technology leads planned expansion efforts at 17%, followed by real estate, retail and transport/logistics.

PwC concludes that Africa’s CEOs have the ambition and resilience but must move from operational excellence to strategic reinvention. This requires embracing risk as a catalyst for transformation, strengthening digital infrastructure, investing in change leadership and aligning AI adoption with enterprise-wide strategy.

Hannelie Gilmour, consulting and transformation platform leader at PwC South Africa, concludes: “Africa is uniquely positioned to leapfrog global peers. Tomorrow’s stability comes from today’s innovation. CEOs who act decisively will shape the continent’s next chapter.”

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E-Business

Firm Reviews the Evolution of Phishing Threats in 2025

Published

1 day ago

February 6, 2026

Chike Onwuegbuchi

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A new Kaspersky review reveals how cybercriminals revived and refined phishing techniques to target individuals and businesses in 2025, including calendar-based attacks, voice message deceptions and sophisticated multi-factor authentication (MFA) bypass schemes.

The findings emphasise the critical need for user vigilance, employee training and advanced email protection solutions to counter these persistent threats moving forward.

Calendar-based phishing targets office workers

A tactic originally from the late 2010s, calendar-based phishing, has reemerged with a focus on B2B environments. Attackers send emails with calendar event invitations, often containing no body text, hiding malicious links in the event description.

When opened, the event auto-adds to the user’s calendar, with reminders urging them to click links leading to fake login pages, such as those mimicking Microsoft.

Previously aimed at Google Calendar users in mass campaigns, this method now targets office employees. Organisations should conduct regular phishing awareness training, such as simulated attack workshops, to teach employees to verify unexpected calendar invites.

Voice message phishing with CAPTCHA evasion

Phishers are deploying minimalist emails posing as voice message notifications, containing sparse text and a link to a basic landing page. Clicking the link triggers a chain of CAPTCHA verifications to bypass security bots, ultimately directing users to a fraudulent Google login page that validates email addresses and captures credentials.

This multi-layered deception highlights the need for employee training programmes, such as interactive modules on recognising suspicious links and advanced email server protection solutions like Kaspersky SecureMail, which detect and block such covert tactics.

MFA bypass via fake cloud service logins

These sophisticated phishing campaigns are targeting multi-factor authentication (MFA) by mimicking services like pCloud (a cloud storage provider that offers encrypted file storage, sharing and backup services).

These emails, disguised as neutral support follow-ups, lead to fake login pages on lookalike domains (e.g., pcloud.online). The pages interact with the real pCloud service via API, validating emails and prompting for OTP codes and passwords, granting attackers account access upon successful login.

To counter this, organisations should implement mandatory cybersecurity training and deploy email security solutions like Kaspersky Security for Mail Servers, which flags fraudulent domains and API-driven attacks.

“With phishing schemes growing more deceptive, Kaspersky urges users to treat unusual email attachments, like password-protected PDFs or QR codes, with caution and verify website URLs before entering any credentials.

“Organisations should adopt comprehensive training programmes, which includes real-world simulations and best practices for spotting phishing attempts. Additionally, deploying robust email server protection solutions ensures real-time detection and blocking of advanced phishing tactics,” comments Roman Dedenok, Anti-Spam Expert at Kaspersky.

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E-Business

NDPC Commits to Balancing Data Privacy, Protection Information

Published

2 days ago

February 5, 2026

Ebere Melum-Nwogbo

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Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC), has expressed its commitment to balance information around data privacy and protection.

NDPC Commits to Balancing Data Privacy, Protection Information

Dr. Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner, NDPC, stated this in Abuja, at the National Data Privacy Summit with the theme, “Privacy in the Era of Emerging Technologies,” organised by the commission.

Olatunji said the NDPC, at the moment, was looking at balancing information around data privacy and protection.

“What we are doing is just to look at how to balance information around privacy and protection, which is really important, because as we are innovating, at the same time, we have to consider issues around privacy and protection,” he stated.

He added that the commission has been very bold in taking risks that would bring about growth.

“Our starting point is growing at a very alarming rate, and we are not afraid of anything. We can take risks. And that is why a lot is happening in Nigeria, and this is the level of clarity,” he explained.

In his address, Dr. Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), stated that Internet of Things holds promise for Nigeria’s economy.

The EVC, who was represented by Abraham Oshadami, executive commissioner, Technical Services (ECTS), noted that, “in an era in which digital assets, Internet of Things, future digital computing and other transformative technologies are key, and both a cornerstone of building trust for the adoption and a prerequisite for sustainable progress.

“Emerging technologies hold immense promise for Nigeria’s grand economy, but they also introduce complex risks to personal and individual rights.

“So, balancing innovation through post-ethical safeguards and public trust is the first step to ensuring that global digital advancement benefits all Nigerians without compromising their privacy or their security,” he added.

“As we just heard from the Nigeria Police, telecom operators have a vast amount of sensitive historical information daily, including connectivity apps and collaboration on privacy, security, and number protection, both to their and their inheritors,” he said.

Dr. Bako Shurkuk, commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, Plateau State, who represented Caleb Mutfwang, Governor of Plateau State, said, emerging technologies can be harnessed to attain sustainable growth.

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