Abuja, March 2026: Caroline Lucas, Director Special Projects at TEXEM, the United Kingdom based leadership development organization has urged African leaders and CEOs to see AI as the ultimate leadership test in 2026 to enhance decision making and organizational development.
In a statement on www.texem.co.uk, Lucas said AI is no longer a distant “tech” trend or a line item for the IT department to manage in isolation.
She said that for too long, senior decision-makers have treated complex technology as a “black box”, delegating its oversight to technical teams.
“In the era of Generative AI and Big Data, this approach is no longer viable. Boards and executives can no longer outsource their understanding of AI.
“To lead a modern African enterprise or institution is to understand the digital architecture upon which it sits. You do not need to write code, but you must be able to interrogate the logic, the data sources, and the inherent biases that these systems carry,” Lucas explained.
She said there are three aspects of executive responsibility every leader must focus on, adding that they are three critical areas where human judgment must remain sovereign.
Lucas said Ethical Risk and Governance is one of the important areas due to the reality that algorithms do not possess a moral compass.
“Leaders must define the “red lines” for AI deployment, ensuring that data usage respects citizen privacy and prevents the reinforcement of historical inequities,” she said.
Lucas also noted that Talent Paradigm is another area explaining that AI will not replace leaders, but leaders who use AI will replace those who do not.
“We must navigate the “Human-in-the-Loop” transition, reimagining roles and upskilling our workforce rather than simply automating them out of existence,” the TEXEM director said.
Speaking on service delivery outcomes, Lucas said whether in FinTech, Agriculture, or Governance, the goal of AI is to improve lives.
“Leaders must judge whether these tools are actually enhancing service delivery or merely creating “digital friction” for the end-user,” she said.
The statement announced that TEXEM will be hosting a leadership programme in Lagos, Nigeria with the theme “Beyond the Algorithm: AI, Data, and Human Judgement” from April 29 to 30.
On the Lagos event, Lucas said Prof. Rodria Laline is the TEXEM faculty that will deliver the programme.
Prof. Laline, is a former CEO of Oracle Asia Pacific. She has served as visiting Professor at Harvard, INSEAD and IMD. She invented the first chip used on ATM Cards.
She has advised Presidents of nations, central bank governors and CEOs globally.
Laline is Professor of Governance and Strategic Management Practice with board-level experience across Europe and Asia.
She has led global R&D collaborations and served on or chaired supervisory boards in multiple sectors.
Laline teaches board effectiveness, digital transformation, and strategy for directors.
The reputable TEXEM faculty is also an IMD alumna with a doctorate in chemical physics.
Interested participants for the Lagos programme are expected to click on the link:
The statement also shared testimonials of past delegates of TEXEM programmes.
“I found that it’s quite a new approach of workshop than I’m used to because
I’ve attended so many workshops organized by other organizations. But, I found that the approach made by TEXEM is quite different.” “…first of all when I found that the first day of the program would be visits to the
Shakespeare’s birthplace and also to visit a chocolate factory, I was skeptical.
“So, I said, I’m in love with
Shakespeare but I just said what is it to do with business or whatever it is.
But then, after the visit and then to the two places and coming back and then
I could see the collaboration between what I’m supposed to know and I really could understand the issues there”.
– Ambassador Mustafa Sam Non-Executive Director Jaiz Bank.
“TEXEM is a very serious consultancy organization. I’m rating them as such because of the caliber of resources that have been mobilized to interact with us to discuss all the issues that are needed in building our leadership capacity further, in ensuring that theTax Appeal Tribunal becomes the best adjudicator of taxes in Africa and even globally. So I am very, very impressed with them, and I recommend them to other institutions that are serious about ensuring effective leadership
and management”.
-Prof. Kabiru Isa Dandago Bayero, Hon Commissioner Tax Appeal Tribunal.
“So many things have inspired me because I have a new look at what leadership is all about now, and then I think the operation and also aspects of that has to do with what
I need to do and make decisions at the right time that involves what the future holds. It’s something that really has inspired me, so many ideas; of course I can’t thank the faculties enough you know in terms of what they have done”.
– Muhammad Bello Aliyu, Registrar/CEO, Computer Professional Council of Nigeria (CPN)
