KEY POINTS
• New Horizons CEO Tim Akano urges women to move from using AI to building AI powered businesses.
• He says ownership of technology, data and intellectual property offers greater economic leverage than employment alone.
• Africa has opportunities to develop AI solutions around healthcare, agriculture, finance, education and African languages.
• WEETS calls for wider access to digital tools, training, mentorship and support for women led technology ventures.
MAIN STORY
African women need to move beyond using artificial intelligence as a workplace tool and begin building and owning businesses powered by the technology, Chief Executive Officer of New Horizons Nigeria, Tim Akano, has said.
Akano made the call at the sixth edition of the Women Entrepreneurs and Executives in Tech Summit and Awards (WEET 2026), held on Friday in Lagos.
The summit, themed “From Innovation to Impact: Women Leading the AI Driven Future”, examined the growing role of women in an economy increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.
Akano said women could miss significant economic opportunities if they remained users of AI rather than becoming creators, founders and owners within the technology economy.
He said AI was already transforming sectors including business, healthcare, finance, education, manufacturing, media and government, making women’s involvement in developing AI solutions important to their participation in the emerging economy.
“The question is not whether the revolution will happen; it has already happened. The question is: who will own a piece of it?” he asked.
The New Horizons chief executive urged women to progress from using AI to operating and building technology, and eventually owning technology companies, platforms, datasets and intellectual property.
“Employment provides income, while ownership provides greater economic leverage,” he said.
He challenged women to consider the AI businesses they could establish, the problems they could solve, the data they could own and the intellectual property they could develop.
Akano also cautioned against viewing AI only as a threat to employment, saying technological change would alter existing jobs while creating new opportunities.
Citing a World Economic Forum report, he said labour market transformation could create at least 170 million jobs globally by 2030 while displacing 92 million, resulting in a net increase of 78 million jobs.
He identified AI, big data, cybersecurity and technological literacy among skills expected to experience strong demand, while noting that professionals who combine industry knowledge with AI capabilities would be better placed as workplaces adopt the technology.
“The future will not belong only to the computer scientist; it will belong to the person who can combine human intelligence, domain expertise and artificial intelligence,” he said.
For Africa, Akano identified healthcare, agriculture, financial services, education, African languages and consumer behaviour as areas where entrepreneurs could develop AI solutions tailored to local needs.
He said the continent’s data gaps could also become commercial opportunities for entrepreneurs able to collect, organise and transform information into useful products and services.
“The next great African AI company may not be the company that builds another general-purpose chatbot.
“It may be the company that possesses the best intelligence about an African problem that the rest of the world has never properly understood,” he said.
Akano further encouraged women with access to capital, networks and expertise to support women led technology ventures and help younger women enter the sector.
He also called on parents to introduce girls early to mathematics, engineering, robotics and AI as part of efforts to develop a pipeline of future technology founders.
Earlier, the Convener of WEETS, Ugochi Emmanuel, said women needed to participate in the AI economy as innovators and leaders rather than remaining consumers of technology.
Emmanuel said WEETS had trained women and girls through its Advanced Digital Skills Bootcamp in AI, cybersecurity, website development, digital entrepreneurship, content creation and other emerging technologies.
She said the initiative planned to widen access to laptops, digital tools, mentorship and training to help more women turn ideas into sustainable businesses.
Emmanuel also called on corporate organisations, government agencies, development partners and philanthropists to support programmes designed to reduce the digital opportunity gap facing women.
“The future is being created now, and women must be at the table not only as participants, but as leaders, decision-makers, creators and builders of that future,” she said.
She said the summit brought together women working across technology, finance, maritime, tourism, culture, media and entrepreneurship.
THE ISSUES
- Akano’s argument centres on ownership rather than participation, with women encouraged to use AI capabilities to create companies, products, datasets and intellectual property rather than limiting their involvement to employment or consumption.
- Africa’s local challenges and gaps in data could provide opportunities for entrepreneurs to develop AI products tailored to sectors and consumer needs on the continent.
- The projected creation and displacement of jobs highlights the changing nature of work as AI adoption expands, increasing the importance of combining existing professional expertise with technology skills.
- Access to capital, equipment, mentorship and specialised training remains important to enabling more women to move from acquiring digital skills to building sustainable technology businesses.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“The question is not whether the revolution will happen; it has already happened. The question is: who will own a piece of it?” – Tim Akano, CEO, New Horizons Nigeria
“Employment provides income, while ownership provides greater economic leverage. – Tim Akano, CEO, New Horizons Nigeria
“The future will not belong only to the computer scientist; it will belong to the person who can combine human intelligence, domain expertise and artificial intelligence,” – Tim Akano, CEO, New Horizons Nigeria
WHAT’S NEXT
WEETS plans to expand access to laptops, digital tools, mentorship and training, while Akano called for greater support for women led technology ventures and earlier exposure of girls to mathematics, engineering, robotics and AI.
BOTTOM LINE
The call at WEET 2026 shifts the focus from women’s ability to use AI to their ability to own the businesses, data and intellectual property created around it. For African entrepreneurs, the emphasis is on turning local problems and data gaps into technology opportunities.
