Sam Abu, nation senior accomplice, PwC Nigeria/regional senior accomplice, West Africa Market, presenting his paper.
…CEOs guess massive on AI to drive development
Greater than half of Nigeria’s prime chief executives are assured that their revenues will develop this 12 months on the again of a secure financial system that has boosted normal enterprise optimism.
“Nigeria is main the pack when it comes to CEO confidence. Fifty-six % are very assured about income development over the following 12 months, in comparison with simply 30 % of CEOs internationally,” mentioned Sam Abu, regional senior accomplice for PwC West Market Space, at PwC and BusinessDay’s financial outlook roundtable held in Lagos on Thursday.
Abu said that findings from PwC’s twenty ninth international CEO survey revealed that for the primary time in years, optimism is surging, with 90 % of CEOs anticipating the Nigerian financial system to enhance over the following 12 months, from 64 % final 12 months.
That confidence is buoyed by the stabilising macroeconomic situations, together with easing inflation that slowed to fifteen.15 % after a revised methodology. The naira additionally strengthened final 12 months, recording greater than seven % acquire, reversing over 40 % loss seen within the earlier 12 months.
Learn additionally: PwC, BusinessDay to host CEO roundtable on Nigeria’s 2026 budget, outlook
Nigerian listed firms are already releasing their 2025 full-year earnings, and internet incomes are turning optimistic after recording FX-related losses.
The improved sentiment comes after Nigeria applied a collection of financial, foreign-exchange (FX) and monetary reforms practically three years in the past that policymakers say have helped restore a measure of stability to an financial system as soon as riddled with volatility.
“Nigeria appears to be standing on strong floor, even in opposition to the backdrop of surging uncertainty at dwelling and globally,” Abu mentioned.
CEOs guess massive on AI to drive enterprise development
Equally, prime CEOs are pulling their weight behind synthetic intelligence (AI) in 2026, with robust hopes that it has potential to spice up enterprise development and enhance investor confidence.
Femi Osinubi, consulting and danger providers chief at PwC, mentioned that solely 30 % of CEOs have seen income positive factors from adopting AI, indicating a necessity for a shift in focus.
As questions come up about safety in AI adoption, Osinubi mentioned belief is the foreign money for firms prepared to pivot into expertise.
“Firms with the fewest belief issues will ship whole shareholder returns, and final 12 months, there have been about 9 % shareholder returns, increased than these with 5 % issues,” he mentioned.
Osinubi referred to as for a reinvention in firms’ management, from engineering departments all the way down to the board rooms, noting that, “when you (firms) reinvent your self, refresh your organisation expertise, then we’ll see the share returns proceed to develop.”
In keeping with the expertise chief on the audit agency, this development for firms, which is able to pivot to AI in 2026, would reduce throughout Nigeria to the remainder of West Africa.
Including to the dialog on AI, Wole Abu, managing director of Equinix, mentioned his firm makes use of AI instruments to automate lots of actions, noting that it saves time and will get the job completed.
He urged CEOs to “preserve constructing strong expertise that helps enterprises who’re .”
Abu famous emphatically that AI is not only a expertise however a digital transformation.
Learn additionally: CBN sees FX reserves rising to $51bn in 2026 on market reforms
Sharing how the patron items agency, Cadbury, plans to drive development this 12 months, Folake Ogundipe, appearing managing director, famous that the agency plans on leveraging digital instruments to make sure that buyer wants are met.
For her, distribution enlargement takes entrance row of Cadbury’s 2026 outlook, guaranteeing that totally different merchandise of the model attain shoppers even in rural markets.
Nonetheless, Ogundipe urged for higher power effectivity, stressing that, “for the true sector to be productive, entry to reasonably priced power should be supplied.”
The CEOs all echoed related issues, AI adoption must be supported by robust governance, cybersecurity, and accountability to guard information integrity and allow accountable deployments.
“CEOs have to take a position time and sources in growing AI adoption,” mentioned Abu, earlier quoted.
