Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has advocated a deliberate link between digital transformation and social protection as African businesses embrace Artificial Intelligence.
Managing Director/Chief Executive of NSITF, Mr. Oluwaseun Faleye, made the call on Monday at the official launch of ESBC–InnoPower LLC (USA) Free MSMEs AI Master Training Programme, held at UN House, Abuja.
The programme, spearheaded by ECOWAS Small Business Coalition, in partnership with InnoPower LLC (USA) and United Nations Development Programme, is designed to equip micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across the region with AI skills to compete in a digital economy.
Faleye, who was the special guest at the event, said MSMEs remain the foundation of Nigeria’s economy.
Citing data from Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), he stated that approximately 96 per cent of businesses in Nigeria were MSMEs, employing millions and sustaining countless families.
He said, “When MSMEs grow, communities prosper. When they innovate, economies become more competitive. And when they become more resilient, nations become stronger.”
Faleye described the training as “far more than a training initiative”, but “an investment in the future competitiveness of West Africa”.
He, however, stressed that technology alone would not guarantee business resilience, and urged entrepreneurs to match AI adoption with employee welfare and safety.
“Digital transformation and workplace protection are not separate conversations, they are the same conversation,” he told the gathering of government officials, development partners, and business leaders.
He stressed, “Technology enables businesses to work smarter.
“Social protection enables people to work with confidence. An enterprise that embraces Artificial Intelligence but neglects the welfare and safety of its workforce has merely modernized its operations without strengthening its resilience.”
He added that as businesses expanded across ECOWAS, they will require “equally responsive systems of occupational safety, workplace protection and social security”. Faleye said NSITF remained committed to supporting that journey through stronger partnerships, awareness, and service delivery.
He commended ESBC, InnoPower LLC, and UNDP for bringing together government, private sector, and development partners to equip entrepreneurs with knowledge and tools for the digital age.
Faleye charged participants to “learn continuously. Innovate boldly”, remember that “your greatest asset will always be your people. Protect them. Invest in them”.
He stated, “The enterprises that will define Africa’s future will not simply be those that adopt the latest technologies. They will be those that combine innovation with responsibility, ambition with resilience.”
The launch drew dignitaries, including ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment; representatives of UNDP Nigeria and UNDP Regional Office for West and Central Africa; and Dr. Abdulrashid Yerima, Regional President of the ECOWAS Small Business Coalition.
Representatives of InnoPower LLC (USA) were also present.