Nigerian small businesses are increasingly adopting digital messaging platforms and artificial intelligence to handle customer enquiries, display products and turn online conversations into sales, according to Leadership newspaper. The trend underscores the expanding role of technology in an economy largely driven by micro, small and medium enterprises, and is especially visible among businesses operating primarily through social media.

Nairobi-based fintech Flowt has raised a pre-seed funding round as it works toward building a $1 million loan book for small and medium-sized enterprises. According to TechCabal, the company uses artificial intelligence to analyse financial records, including bank and M-Pesa statements and accounting data, to assess small businesses' creditworthiness. Flowt says many companies are excluded from traditional lending because banks lack reliable financial histories on them.

Emma Okonji discusses the challenges faced by Nigerian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools. The conversation has often centered on high-level innovation, but many SMEs struggle with practical implementation issues.

Managing payroll can be challenging for small businesses, but implementing effective solutions can streamline the process. Understanding the available payroll services is essential for small business owners, whether they have a few employees or are preparing to hire their first team member. Efficient payroll management is a key factor in achieving success for small teams, according to TechJaja.

According to CIO Africa, many organizations fail in their AI deployment efforts because they treat it merely as a software integration task. They often acquire advanced tools and connect them to existing data without considering the need to adapt to local infrastructure, systems, and workflows, which is crucial for successful implementation.

The article discusses the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to drive growth for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa. It explores the current landscape of AI adoption among these businesses and offers insights on how they can effectively navigate the hype surrounding AI to identify real opportunities for development.