ALX Enterprise has urged Nigerian businesses to invest in workforce skills, leadership and change management as they integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into their operations, warning that technology alone cannot deliver successful organisational transformation.
The call was made at an executive roundtable organised by the company at The Art Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. The meeting brought together business leaders and human resources executives from organisations including Union Bank, Meristem, MTN, Aradel Holdings, Norrenberger, Tetracore Energy and Boston Consulting Group.
Ruby Igwe, regional director for West and Central Africa at ALX Enterprise, led discussions on who should take responsibility for AI adoption within organisations. Brandspur Brand News reports that she stressed the need for businesses to establish clear accountability, put safeguards in place and prepare employees to use new tools effectively.
Participants also examined the risks and practical demands of shifting towards AI-driven operations through a simulation led by Oluwapelumi Thomas, learning manager for ALX West and Central Africa. They were assigned to a task force tasked with turning an organisation into an AI-first business within 12 months.
The exercise required them to weigh competing priorities, including data security, employee acceptance, access to AI tools, workforce training and projects capable of producing measurable business results.
Temitope Ekundayo, sales and partnerships manager at ALX Enterprise, outlined the company’s four-stage approach to corporate development: Diagnose, Design, Deliver and Measure. The model combines programme management and tailored learning with outcomes linked to each client’s business priorities.
ALX Enterprise said it has trained more than 3,000 corporate learners. Its recent work includes supporting 147 employees at a Nigerian energy operator and delivering 55 management learning cohorts for MTN Côte d’Ivoire within six months.
The organisation also identified corporate training, AI programmes, leadership development, talent recruitment and strategic partnerships as areas through which it works with businesses.
The discussions highlighted a central challenge for companies adopting AI: employees need the skills, guidance and confidence to use the technology, while leaders must establish the structures that make its adoption accountable and sustainable.
