ICAD 2025 Hybrid Conference Unveils Future Of Management In The AI Age

By Genesis ogiri 

Abuja, Nigeria — The Institute of Corporate Administration (ICAD) has sent a resounding continental signal regarding Africa’s strategic trajectory in leadership, institutional intelligence, and economic competitiveness in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Convened as part of the 2025 Hybrid Conference on the Future of Management in Africa, the event brought together top policymakers, corporate executives, technocrats, and thought leaders to deliberate on how the continent can harness innovation, digital transformation, and intellectual competency to secure a commanding position in the emerging global knowledge economy.

Landmark deliberations on Africa’s leadership, institutional intelligence, and digital transformation dominated proceedings at the prestigious Greendminds Hotel, Abuja, on Saturday. The conference highlighted the continent’s urgent drive to reshape management practices in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, underlining innovation, predictive governance, and data-driven decision-making as the key levers for Africa’s competitiveness, sustainable growth, and enhanced influence on the global stage.

Dr. G.C. Onyekwere, Director-General of ICAD, asserted that “innovation is no longer an added advantage — it is the absolute foundation of national development, economic sovereignty, and institutional competitiveness.” He warned that Africa cannot merely adopt technology; it must engineer systems, innovate governance, and industrialize knowledge to compete with global powers in an AI-driven world.

 “Any nation or institution that does not prioritize innovation will be governed by those that do,” Dr. Onyekwere said.

He further charged African leaders to transition from administrative maintenance to innovation leadership, insisting that true development is no longer powered by physical infrastructure alone, “but by digital infrastructure, strategic intelligence, and innovation ecosystems that convert human potential into national value.”

Keynote speaker Dr. Joseph Ajorin electrified the conference with a bold declaration: the future of management in Africa will be defined not by routine administration, but by cognitive leadership powered by AI, strategic foresight, and intelligence-engineered decision-making.

“The future is no longer about those who work hardest — but those who can think farthest. Nations will soon be ranked not by what they extract, but by what they can interpret, predict, and systemically design,” Dr. Ajorin said.

He emphasized that governance efficiency, enterprise dominance, and national security will now depend on data intelligence, rapid adaptation, talent architecture, and digital systems, rather than traditional physical or bureaucratic power.

Experts stressed that digital transformation is no longer merely an operational tool — it is a matter of national security, economic sovereignty, and global influence. Nations failing to digitize strategically risk being governed by those who control the AI and intelligence infrastructures of the future.

Delegates called for Africa to move from technology consumption to technology creation, producing AI-powered governance platforms, fintech ecosystems, smart public service delivery systems, cybersecurity frameworks, and digital identity infrastructures capable of reducing corruption and enhancing policy efficiency.

 “True digital transformation is not software procurement — it is institutional redesign. Decision-making must become evidence-based, corruption-proof, and intelligence-driven,” experts concluded 


Participants urged the Nigerian government to sustain policy continuity, reinforce institutional stability, and intentionally reward diligence and excellence within administrative systems.

 “Innovation, productivity, and ethical leadership thrive only when excellence is recognized and meritocracy is enforced. Africa’s transformation requires governance systems that incentivize competence, celebrate ethical administration, and empower solution-driven leaders across sectors,” delegates emphasized.

In a high-level atmosphere of policymakers, CEOs, technocrats, and institutional reformers, ICAD reaffirmed its role as Africa’s governance intelligence powerhouse, shaping not mere administrators, but architects of Africa’s institutional future.

The Institute stressed that Africa’s next decade will favor leaders capable of anticipating disruption, prototyping solutions, and industrializing intelligence before industrializing the economy.

 “Data without interpretation is noise. Management without foresight is bureaucracy. Leadership without intellectual competency is a national risk,” ICAD stated.

The conference also included the induction of new ICAD members and the presentation of awards to distinguished African professionals. ICAD clarified that these were strategic deployments, not ceremonial accolades, with inductees positioned as custodians of actionable intelligence to influence policy, transform systems, and enhance Africa’s global competitiveness.

“Every award carries a mandate for future relevance — not a trophy of past achievement,” the Institute emphasized.

The conference concluded with a clear mandate: Africa must not wait to be included in the future — it must actively design it. ICAD affirmed its commitment to producing governance intelligence leaders who will position Africa as a strategic, innovation-led, human-centered powerhouse on the global stage, capable of shaping global systems rather than merely adapting to them.

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