Industry leaders at the fourth edition of the West Africa Telecoms Infrastructure Summit and Exhibition (WATISE 4.0) have called for strategic investments in digital infrastructure, locally developed artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, financial inclusion, and digital literacy to ensure Africa secures a meaningful place in the rapidly evolving AI economy. The summit had the theme: “The Resilient AI Fabric: Trust, Integrity and Sustainability in the Next Generation Network Infrastructure.”
Speaking during the high-level panel session, the experts argued that while AI presents unprecedented opportunities for economic transformation, Africa must move beyond being a consumer of imported technologies and become an active participant in creating solutions tailored to its unique realities.
The panel featured Olusola Teniola, Director at ipNX; Stephen Adeoye, National Secretary, Association of Financial Inclusion Agents of Nigeria (AFIAN); Chidi Ajuzie, Chief Executive Officer, WTES Group; and Seun Olurunisola, Senior Manager, Finance at IXPN.
Speaking on the need to democratise access to AI, Teniola identified accessibility, availability and affordability as the key pillars of meaningful digital inclusion.
According to him, AI has the potential to simplify interactions between citizens, governments, businesses and digital platforms while driving broader social and economic participation.
“We must close the gap between what is already happening in the Global North and what is happening in Africa,” Teniola said. “The fundamentals remain education, awareness and the confidence to develop African-centric AI solutions that reflect our realities, languages and needs.”
He stressed that Africa’s AI journey must be built on local knowledge, relevant datasets and homegrown innovation if the continent is to fully benefit from emerging technologies.
On the role of AI in financial services, Adeoye noted that the technology is already helping financial institutions reach underserved communities more effectively.
He revealed that, in compliance with regulatory directives, the financial inclusion ecosystem is migrating from 2G-based Point-of-Sale (POS) devices to 4G-enabled terminals capable of geotagging transactions, enhancing transparency, accountability and fraud prevention.
“AI enables real-time monitoring, fraud detection, customer engagement and credit scoring,” Adeoye said. “Many fintech companies already deploy AI solutions to identify suspicious transactions and protect consumers. The future of financial inclusion is brighter because of AI.”
He added that AFIAN continues to educate agents and consumers at the grassroots on fraud prevention, transaction verification and the responsible use of digital financial tools.
Drawing parallels with Nigeria’s early GSM revolution, Adeoye argued that public education would be critical to building trust in AI-driven systems.
“We are moving towards a cashless economy where technologies such as facial verification, liveness detection and AI-powered authentication will further strengthen trust and security across the financial ecosystem,” he said.
Ajuzie expressed concern about Africa’s limited participation across the global AI value chain, warning that the continent remains heavily dependent on foreign providers for critical components such as AI chips, cloud infrastructure, computing resources and foundational models.
“When you examine the AI ecosystem, from chip manufacturing to cloud computing and model development, Africa is largely a consumer,” he said. “This places us at the receiving end in terms of cost, accessibility and availability.”
He warned that excessive dependence on foreign AI systems raises concerns around data sovereignty, cybersecurity, privacy and cultural relevance.
“The datasets used to train most AI systems are sourced largely from the Global North. Until we develop localised models that understand our languages, cultures and realities, significant challenges will remain,” Ajuzie stated.
He called for stronger digital literacy programmes, robust cybersecurity frameworks, improved governance systems and greater investments in digital infrastructure.
According to him, attracting content delivery networks, expanding internet exchange capacity and developing modern data centres are critical to supporting AI workloads and reducing dependence on overseas infrastructure.
“The closer AI infrastructure is to the user, the better the experience,” he explained. “Edge computing and local data centres will be essential if Nigeria and Africa are to compete effectively in the AI era.”
The panel also observed that younger generations are rapidly embracing AI tools for learning, research and innovation.
Olurunisola noted that students are increasingly leveraging AI-powered applications to solve complex academic challenges, conduct research and develop software solutions.
“The younger generation is already embracing AI. They are using these tools to learn, create and innovate in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago,” he said.
Moderated by Oluwole Abegunde, Director of Market Research and Insights at Insiyhtcs, the session concluded with a consensus that protecting and expanding telecommunications infrastructure remains critical to Africa’s digital future, as connectivity will serve as the foundation upon which AI-driven innovation, inclusion and economic growth are built.
