Olubayo Adekanmbi: Enabling SME Transformation with Data Science
Olubayo Adekanmbi, a man born with a tall vision is inclined to build an AI-first society where Artificial Intelligence is effectively deployed to solve local problems, particularly the sustainable development goals.
For him, Nigeria’s 180 million people with a median age of about 18 years is a strategic advantage- it positions the nation as one of the top 10 AI Knowledge centres in the world, with the opportunity to raise 1 million AI talents in 10 years, equipped with globally relevant skills that can drive increased employability.
He believes AI will provide a springboard for Africa’s development by enhancing how we live, work and play. Indeed, Adekanmbi has started taking giant steps to match his words with action.
As the Chief Transformation Officer of MTN Nigeria, he deploys his global experience, creativity and data science strategies in leading a team shaping the future of Africa’s biggest mobile network through proactive introduction of specific measures to help accelerate the company’s business performance and innovations. He also sits atop as the founder of Data Science Nigeria (DSN) a social initiative to promote business transformation, through the application of data science in business, policy, investment, and community planning.
His intimidating credentials in Data Science, Strategy, Marketing and Analytics across the two largest economy in Africa – Nigeria and South Africa, made him a well sought-after resource person for The Revv Programme by MTN which was created to help small business owners rethink and retool their operations to enable them withstand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
From working as the Strategy and Business Director at DDB and MTN’s Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer, the University of Reading and Columbia Business School-trained Data Scientist rose to become the Chief Transformation Officer of MTN Nigeria. With a passion for continuous learning, Adekanmbi also has in his bag, a Ph.D. from City University Cass Business School in London, as well as certificates from other institutions across the world.
More than 200 participants at the Revv Programme masterclass with the theme “Re-defining Customer Experience Through Effective Customer Relationship Management” drew real and practical technological lessons from Adekanmbi’s accomplishment.
With nearly two decades of international experience in Data Science, Adekanmbi is a powerhouse of knowledge for SMEs in search of business lessons. This is especially as the world economy is gradually finding a balance after the COVID-19 pandemic which threatened the survival of many multinationals and sent world economies into recession.
At the MTN Revv Programme masterclass, he told SME owners that “Even though we are in a new normal, we are still dealing with a person who has the capacity to adjust to every environment.”
“As SMEs we have to observe the environment, learn from it and take actions accordingly,” Adekanmbi added.
He left them with the OLA approach – Observation, Learning and Action, which, in his view, will help business owners observe prevailing circumstances to know what customers want, learn deliberate efforts to find patterns in the observations and take action based on this body of intelligence to service customers better and bundle the best product to them.
As a denizen of the digital world, to drive sales, Adekanmbi strongly advised SMEs to make use of data available on social media to gain intelligence.
For SMEs, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram analytics are basic tools that must be mastered, understood and applied in this emerging economy, but the fundamental principle, in the words of Adekanmbi, is not about the tools, “it’s about the principles of running a business like the ‘mama put’ who knows how to imagine the future, plan ahead, own the customer and win the largest share of the future.”
