FirstBank—the 132-year-old titan of West African finance—will host a critical edition of its SMEConnect Webinar. Moving beyond traditional finance, the bank is now tackling the most influential trend of the decade: Artificial Intelligence.
The theme, “AI for Business Growth: From Adoption to Integration and Scalable Impact,” isn’t just theory; it’s a survival manual for SMEs operating in an increasingly automated global economy.
1. The Expert Panel: Global Tech meets Local Execution
To ensure the advice is both world-class and practical for the Nigerian market, the webinar features a high-level intersection of players:
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The Architect (Microsoft): Temitope Odude, Senior AI Solutions Architect at Microsoft, will provide the “How-To” on integrating AI into daily workflows without needing a massive IT budget.
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The Implementation Team (FirstBank): Digital and SME experts Abednego Ugwueke and Ibidun Adedewe will bridge the gap between AI tools and actual banking/partnership opportunities.
2. The ₦1 Trillion Proof of Concept
FirstBank isn’t just teaching AI; they are living it. Group Executive Chuma Ezirim revealed a staggering milestone that provides the “teeth” for this initiative:
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AI-Enabled Lending: The bank has already disbursed over ₦1 trillion in instant loans to micro-SMEs using AI-powered credit scoring.
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The Lesson: By using algorithms to analyze data instead of relying on traditional collateral, the bank has unlocked credit for millions who were previously “invisible” to the system. This webinar aims to teach business owners how to use similar AI logic to optimize their own sales and engagement.
3. Key Learning Pillars for 2026
Participants will be guided through three specific transformation stages:
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Productivity Enhancement: Using AI to automate repetitive admin tasks.
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Strategic Engagement: Leveraging data to predict customer needs before they arise.
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Data-Driven Decisions: Moving away from “gut feeling” toward insights derived from real-time business metrics.
