ALX and OpenAI Explore the Skills Needed to Build Africa's AI Future

ALX and OpenAI have called for greater investment in AI skills, education, and workforce development as artificial intelligence becomes more deeply embedded across African industries. Speaking during the “Building Africa’s AI Future” event in Johannesburg, technology leaders and creatives argued that long-term success will depend less on access to AI platforms than on the ability to apply them to solve practical business and social challenges.

Preparing Africa’s Workforce for AI

Speaking at “Building Africa’s AI Future”, OpenAI Africa Lead Emmanuel Lubanzadio said AI should be viewed as a productivity tool that expands human capability rather than simply replacing jobs. While some occupations will disappear as automation accelerates, he argued that new roles will emerge, placing greater responsibility on governments, educators and employers to prepare workers for a changing labour market.

Education featured prominently throughout the discussion. Lubanzadio said many people still use AI for basic information retrieval despite rapid advances in generative AI. He called for broader AI literacy programmes that help people understand how to apply the technology in practical settings, describing awareness as a shared responsibility across schools, businesses and families.

AI Opens New Opportunities for Africa’s Creative Economy

For Africa’s creative industries, speakers argued that AI is changing how content reaches global audiences. Africa Creative Agency founder Colin Gayle said social media platforms and AI tools have reduced traditional barriers that once limited market access for creators. Film director Karabo Lediga echoed that view, arguing that streaming platforms have given African stories greater international visibility without requiring creators to change the authenticity of their work.

Canva Africa Partnerships Lead Farai Ntuli focused on the practical skills businesses need to remain competitive. She encouraged entrepreneurs to learn effective prompting techniques, automate repetitive work, and use AI to support decision-making rather than replace independent thinking. Ntuli also warned against accepting AI-generated responses without scrutiny, arguing that critical thinking remains one of the most valuable skills in an AI-enabled workplace.

AI Adoption Extends Beyond Automation

The discussion also highlighted AI’s growing role in entrepreneurship. Gayle described how businesses can deploy AI agents to support customer research, audience analysis, marketing and revenue generation, while Lubanzadio encouraged founders to see AI as a tool capable of amplifying existing talent rather than replacing it.

The event reinforced a broader message emerging across Africa’s technology sector: access to AI tools is expanding rapidly, but long-term value will depend on digital skills, critical thinking and the ability to apply AI to practical business and creative challenges. For organisations such as ALX, that places education and workforce development at the centre of Africa’s AI ambitions.