The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund NSITF, has called for the adoption of Artificial Intelligence to workplace protection.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive of NSITF, Mr. Oluwaseun Faleye, said there must be a deliberate link between digital transformation and social protection as African businesses embrace Artificial Intelligence.
Faleye made the call on Monday at the official launch of the ESBC–InnoPower LLC USA Free MSMEs AI Master Training Program, held at UN House, Abuja.
The programme, spearheaded by the ECOWAS Small Business Coalition in partnership with InnoPower LLC USA and the United Nations Development Programme, is designed to equip Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises 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 the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), he noted that “approximately 96 percent of businesses in Nigeria are MSMEs, employing millions and sustaining countless families.
“When MSMEs grow, communities prosper. When they innovate, economies become more competitive. And when they become more resilient, nations become stronger,” he said.
He described the training as “far more than a training initiative but an investment in the future competitiveness of West Africa.”
Faleye, however, stressed that technology alone would not guarantee business resilience, urging entrepreneurs to match AI adoption with worker 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, stressing that “technology enables businesses to work smarter.
He added that as businesses expand across ECOWAS, they will require “equally responsive systems of occupational safety, workplace protection and social security.”
NSITF, he added, remains committed to supporting that journey through stronger partnerships, awareness, and service delivery.
Faleye 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.
He charged participants to learn continuously, innovate boldly but remember that “your greatest asset will always be your people. Protect them. Invest in them.”
The launch drew high-level dignitaries including the ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, representatives of UNDP Nigeria and the UNDP Regional Office for West and Central Africa, and Dr. Abdulrashid Yerima, Regional President of the ECOWAS Small Business Coalition and representatives of InnoPower LLC USA.
The Free MSMEs AI Master Training Programme is expected to run across selected ECOWAS States, targeting business owners seeking to leverage AI for production, marketing and regional trade.
