Oluchi Chibuzor
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape workplaces and accelerate business processes, experts have urged Nigerian workers and employers to focus on adaptation, continuous learning and responsible use of the technology rather than fear job loss.
Speaking at the second edition of the Nigeria Workplace Culture Conference & Awards, the Chief Executive Officer, WINBOX Consulting, Dr. Deji Osasona, stressed that AI could help organisations accomplish tasks faster, but leadership would remain critical in managing people, sustaining team energy and providing direction.
“While AI is automating a lot of things in the workplace, we need leaders to ensure that the people side of it, the process side of it, connects with the performance and profitability,” he said.
The Minister of Labour and Employment said the technology should be viewed as a tool for transforming skills and improving productivity.
Represented by the Zonal Director, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, South-West Zone, Mienye Badejo, she said, “AI is just recreating your skills and applying them in a different way without necessarily having to lose your job. It’s a process. People need to first understand that they are safe, their work is safe. And everything else follows.”
Also speaking, Founder, Digital Encode Prof. Obadare Adewale, said AI was already changing the structure of the workplace, with workers increasingly expected to collaborate with AI systems.
He said the rise of AI agents meant that workers would increasingly have digital counterparts performing tasks alongside them.