Reliance Infosystems Harps on AI for Business Strategic Planning

Emma Okonji

Reliance Infosystems has stressed the need for organisations and businesses to   integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into their strategic planning, warning that negligence could render their organisations obsolete in a rapidly evolving digital economy.

At a recent AI masterclass in Lagos, organised by Reliance Infosystems in partnership with Lagos Business School, the company brought together C-suite executives across sectors to demystify AI and outline how decision-makers could drive value creation through its adoption. 

A facilitator and member of Lagos Business School, Dr. Nkemdilim Iheanachor, who spoke at the event, advised business executives to responsibility for the implementation of AI strategy in their organisations, adding that AI strategy should not sit with the IT department alone, since it is a business leadership imperative. 

He stressed that companies must stop approaching AI as a one-off innovation project and instead integrate it into long-term value delivery models.

“The AI conversation is timely. According to a 2024 PwC Nigeria report, businesses and workplaces are expected to record a sharp increase in AI adoption by 2025 as firms look to improve efficiency and decision-making. 

“However, Nigeria’s AI readiness remains uneven, with infrastructural limitations and fragmented digital policies slowing progress,” Iheanachor said.

Group Vice President, Digitank Technologies, Babajide Akande, who also stressed the need for AI adoption in organisations, said: “There is no scarcity of AI tools. What’s scarce is leadership that can identify problems worth solving and build a culture around execution.” 

Participants were exposed to a range of use cases showing how AI is being deployed across financial services, retail, healthcare, and the public sector, with emphasis on how to use AI to fundamentally rethink business models and customer engagement.

The Reliance Infosystems’ masterclass urged Nigerian firms to begin small, identifying specific business problems and testing AI solutions in targeted areas while ensuring ethical design and transparency in deployment.

“AI without a clear business objective is just expensive hype. Nigerian executives must stop admiring innovation from afar and start leading it from within,” one of the facilitators said. 

Reliance Infosystems used the occasion to inform participants that AI is no longer a futuristic ambition. “AI is now a critical business priority, and Nigerian leaders must act decisively to ensure their organisations do not get left behind,” the company said.