TEXEM UK, the reputable leadership development organisation based in the United Kingdom says that weak data culture constitutes the greatest threat to full utilisation of Artificial Intelligence among African leaders and CEOs.
In her statement on TEXEM’s, website www.texem.co.uk, Caroline Lucas, its Director,
Special Projects announced that the organisation will host African leaders to a programme on AI in Lagos from April 29 to April 30.
Tagged “Beyond the Algorithm: AI, Data and Human Judgement”, Lucas said the programme will be an eye-opener on some strategic perspectives of leadership development as they relate to meaningful use of AI for greatest productivity.
“As we gather in Lagos later this month to explore the future of leadership in an age shaped by artificial intelligence, it is essential to confront a less glamorous but far more consequential truth.
“The fact we should be concerned about is that the greatest threat to deriving value from AI is not slow adoption, but weak data culture.
“Across organisations, there is an understandable urgency to deploy AI tools, automate processes, and signal innovation. Yet, beneath this enthusiasm often lies a fragile foundation, that is, poor data discipline” she asserted.
Lucas noted that inconsistent data entry, siloed information systems, lack of governance, and weak accountability structures quietly erode the very intelligence AI systems depend upon.
According to her, no algorithm, however advanced, can outperform the quality of the data it is fed.
“A weak data culture does more than limit AI performance; it actively distorts decision-making.
“Leaders may believe they are leveraging cutting-edge intelligence, when in reality they are scaling inaccuracies, amplifying bias, and institutionalising flawed assumptions.
“In such environments, AI becomes not a strategic asset, but a sophisticated liability,” the director said.
Lucas stated that for African enterprises, this challenge carries even greater urgency.
Explaining further, she said African markets are dynamic, the data ecosystems are still maturing, and opportunities for leapfrogging are significant.
“But leapfrogging requires discipline. It demands that organisations prioritise data integrity with the same seriousness as financial accountability. It requires leaders to ask not just, “What can AI do for us?” but more fundamentally, “Can our data be trusted?”
“The path forward is clear but demanding. Building a strong data culture means embedding standards, enforcing consistency, investing in data literacy at every level, and creating systems of ownership and stewardship.
“It means rewarding accuracy, not just speed; insight, not just output.
Ultimately, the future of leadership “beyond the algorithm” will not be defined by those who adopt AI the fastest, but by those who build the most reliable data foundations and exercise the wisest human judgement,” Lucas argued.
She said that although technology can augment intelligence, but only disciplined organisations can unlock its true value.
On the coming Lagos programme, Lucas said Prof. Rodria Laline who has visited Nigeria many times, is the TEXEM faculty that will deliver the programme.
Prof. Laline is a former CEO of Oracle Asia Pacific, who has served as visiting Professor at Harvard, INSEAD and IMD, and is the inventor of 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 regard the These Executive Minds (TEXEM) Executive Education programme as the best I have attended in recent times. Not one of them, but the very best as it was humanly perfect.
“My favourite thing about the programme would be … drawing our attention again to … change, which has been a constant in life experiences, you know, change in our lives, change, you know, in businesses … the evolution of businesses and the way we do things … discussions, for example, on cyber security and mental health, which is not just equipping us to know what is happening around us, even equipping us personally, our mental health, paying attention to also the ever evolving cybersecurity… Those are things I would say that made it very, very interesting”.
-Previous TEXEM delegate, Ifeanyi Ani CEO Total Pension CPFA
“TEXEM is a good platform for advancing leadership training, and I would recommend them for any organizations or institutions that are, desirous of improving their workforce in leadership and strategic policy making”.
– Previous TEXEM delegate,
Prof. Olatunde Julius Otusanya, Hon. Commissioner, Tax Appeal Tribunal
“The program has been very interesting, exciting, facilitated knowledge sharing and it has actually brought about a greater insight into what leadership is.
– Previous TEXEM delegate,
Akinwunmi Lawal, former MD/CEO of NPF Microfinance Bank
