As artificial intelligence reshapes economies and power structures across Africa, women’s representation in leadership must translate into genuine influence over how the technology is designed and governed — not merely symbolic inclusion, senior leaders and young African women warned at a recent intergenerational dialogue convened by MTN Group.
The forum brought together Sanda Ojiambo, assistant secretary-general of the United Nations Global Compact; Angela Wamola, head of Sub-Saharan Africa at the GSMA; Nompilo Morafo, MTN Group chief sustainability and corporate affairs officer; and Selorm Adadevoh, MTN Group chief commercial, strategy and transformation officer, alongside young African women navigating leadership in a rapidly evolving digital economy.
Ojiambo framed the stakes clearly. “AI will help us make better and more informed leadership decisions, but decision making will always be human. Decision making must be accountable, transparent, inclusive and it must think about the future,” she said.
Wamola urged bold action rather than incremental change. “For Africa, you will have to be bold and courageous because the headwinds are very strong but the opportunity is far more,” she said.
A central theme was the distinction between access and influence. Participants said mentorship, while valuable, has limited impact without sponsorship, networks and real pathways into decision-making spaces. Young women at the dialogue said they are seeking practical access to funding, leadership roles and decision-makers willing to share power rather than symbolic gestures of inclusion. “We don’t just want to be included, we want to be part of shaping the decisions,” one participant said. Another added: “Opportunities need to be real and accessible, not just spoken about.”
Forum participants warned that excluding women from leadership in AI-driven sectors carries material strategic risks. If women remain underrepresented where decisions about AI are made, the systems shaping Africa’s next growth cycle risk embedding inequality at scale — narrowing the talent pool, weakening decision-making and constraining innovation.
Adadevoh said empathy remains the defining leadership trait in an era of technological acceleration. “As a leader, the biggest trait is empathy and bringing the human back into the room,” he said. Morafo added that effective leadership requires listening and openness rather than having all the answers.
The forum’s tone reflected a broader impatience. “Women are tired of hashtags. We need action,” one participant said — a sentiment that framed much of the discussion.
For MTN, leaders said advancing women’s leadership in the digital economy is a strategic imperative, not only a social one. As AI reshapes how capital is allocated, risk is assessed and organizations operate, the company said digital transformation must be inclusive by design, with deliberate pathways into leadership, technical disciplines, innovation ecosystems and governance structures.
