For Nigerian boardrooms, artificial intelligence has transitioned from a buzzword to a balance sheet enabler. Across telecoms, finance, manufacturing, agriculture, retail, and beyond, AI is already reducing costs, increasing revenue, and transforming how products reach customers.

The leaders who win the next decade will be those who set clear targets for AI and build the guardrails to use it responsibly.

Let’s start with telecoms. MTN is rolling out an AI-led transformation, “MTN Genova”, to optimise network traffic and service delivery, including in Nigeria. More intelligent routing and predictive maintenance result in fewer dropped calls, more reliable coverage, and ultimately, happier customers for executives, which translates directly into operational efficiency and market retention.

“The GSMA’s case study on Nigeria highlights how AI-assisted fleet management has reduced waste and provided small farmers with access to tools previously reserved for large-scale operations.”

Sterling Bank’s “Naya” is an AI-powered digital assistant designed to simplify and personalise everyday banking. Beyond handling routine customer queries, Naya is intended to guide users through payments, account services, and financial support in real time, creating a smoother and more responsive banking experience. It shows how AI can move banking closer to the customer, making services available instantly and intuitively. With fraud risks also on the rise, Sterling is combining innovations like Naya with stronger AI-driven analytics to protect customers and reinforce trust, demonstrating that in modern banking, technology must deliver both convenience and security.

Manufacturing is not left behind. Dangote Industries has deployed AI and machine learning, alongside cloud adoption, to streamline its operations. In asset-heavy industries where every minute of downtime hurts, AI-enabled predictive maintenance, process optimisation, and supply chain forecasting are already saving money and boosting competitiveness. This is not about futuristic robots but about squeezing efficiency from existing operations.

Agriculture, Nigeria’s largest employer, is also being transformed. Hello Tractor utilises AI for weather and demand forecasting, ensuring tractors are deployed precisely when and where farmers need them most. The result is higher yields, better equipment utilisation, and more income for smallholder farmers. The GSMA’s case study on Nigeria highlights how AI-assisted fleet management has reduced waste and provided small farmers with access to tools previously reserved for large-scale operations.

Read also: Artificial intelligence: Catalyst for human capital development in emerging economies

Fintech infrastructure shows just how much potential lies ahead. Kuda Bank, which has already processed trillions of naira in transactions, is now weaving AI into the heart of its operations. From real-time fraud detection and more intelligent transaction monitoring to predictive analytics that improve credit scoring and onboarding, Kuda is showing how technology can scale trust as well as growth. Its AI-powered chatbot gives customers round-the-clock support, while new tools are being developed to help small businesses manage invoicing, inventory, and sales more effectively. The message for business leaders is clear: data pipelines and thoughtful integration matter because without them, AI’s promise remains just a dream.

Global case studies underline the direction. Unilever reports that AI-enabled freezers and weather-aware forecasting have increased ice cream orders by as much as 30 per cent, proving that machine learning can unlock growth in even mature categories.

Walmart has leveraged generative AI across 850 million product data points to enhance shopping experiences, demonstrating that scale and customer intimacy can coexist.

So what should Nigerian executives do now?

1. AI Readiness Assessment: It is essential to assess the readiness of your organisation for AI. Business leaders must factor in multiple factors, including talent, organisational culture, and more.

2. Incremental adoption is key: Deploy AI in customer support, but measure resolution rates, not just chat volume, and utilise anomaly detection to address fraud and revenue leakage in payments and procurement. Apply demand forecasting to reduce stock-outs and unnecessary discounts. These are proven, CFO-friendly applications.

3. Fix your data and governance: AI is only as good as the data behind it. Build a single source of truth, track data end-to-end, and align with the Nigeria Data Protection Act. Responsible AI is no longer optional. It is now a regulatory and reputational requirement.

4. Prepare for open banking’s implementation: The Central Bank issued operational guidelines in 2023 and is expected to drive implementation in 2025. Forward-looking banks should use this window to prototype consent-driven data-sharing products, from cash-flow lending to SME analytics, so they are ready when the switch is flipped.

5. Build AI capability: Invest in AI training, develop AI talents internally, and ensure you engage proven experts. A recent survey by the consulting firm McKinsey identified AI illiteracy as the most significant business risk in the era of generative AI.

Bottom line

AI is not a silver bullet, but businesses in Nigeria and beyond are already leveraging it for profitability. Nigeria’s unique advantage lies in its youthful population, fast-growing digital economy, and an ecosystem that is slowly but steadily moving toward openness and scale. Business leaders who ignore this shift risk being left behind. Those who act now, by choosing a few high-impact AI options, funding them adequately, and delivering results, will not only grow their companies but also lead the next chapter of Nigeria’s economy.

Dotun Adeoye is a seasoned technology strategist and AI innovation leader with over 30 years of global experience across Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa. He is the co-founder of AI in Nigeria.

President Donald Trump has asked the US Supreme Court to overturn a lower court decision that found many of his sweeping tariffs were illegal.

In a petition filed late on Wednesday, the administration asked the justices to quickly intervene to rule that the president has the power to impose such import taxes on foreign nations.

A divided US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit last week ruled 7-4 that the tariffs Trump brought in through an emergency economic powers act did not fall within the president’s mandate and that setting levies was “a core Congressional power”.

The case could upend Trump’s economic and foreign policy agenda and force the US to refund billions in tariffs.

Trump had justified the tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which gives the president the power to act against “unusual and extraordinary” threats.

In April, Trump declared an economic emergency, arguing that a trade imbalance had undermined domestic manufacturing and was harmful to national security.

While the appellate court ruled against the president, it postponed its decision from taking effect, allowing the Trump administration time to file an appeal.

In Wednesday’s night’s filing, Solicitor General John Sauer wrote that the lower court’s “erroneous decision has disrupted highly impactful, sensitive, ongoing diplomatic trade negotiations, and cast a pall of legal uncertainty over the President’s efforts to protect our country by preventing an unprecedented economic and foreign policy crisis”.

If the Supreme Court justices deny the review, the ruling could take effect on 14 October.

In May, the New York-based Court of International Trade declared the tariffs were unlawful. That decision was also put on hold during the appeal process.

The rulings came in response to lawsuits filed by small businesses and a coalition of US states opposing the tariffs.

In April, Trump signed executive orders imposing a baseline 10% tariff as well as “reciprocal” tariffs intended to correct trade imbalances on more than 90 countries.

In addition to those tariffs, the appellate court ruling also strikes down levies on Canada, Mexico and China, which Trump argues are necessary to stop the importation of drugs.

The decision does not apply to some other US duties, like those imposed on steel and aluminium, which were brought in under a different presidential authority.