Africa’s cloud revolution takes center stage at Oracle AI World 2025

Renamed Oracle AI World 2025 (from Cloud World), the conference drew more than 20,000 delegates to Las Vegas last week — a clear signal that generative AI has become the centerpiece of enterprise innovation.

Oracle’s flagship annual event has officially stepped into the age of artificial intelligence. Rebranded as Oracle AI World 2025 (formerly CloudWorld), the conference gathered over 20,000 attendees in Las Vegas last week,  underscoring how generative AI has become the driving force of enterprise innovation.

Yet amid the hype surrounding AI, Oracle delivered a grounded message: cloud infrastructure remains the essential layer enabling every intelligent application. Nowhere is this more evident than in Africa, particularly South Africa, where Old Mutual has emerged as a standout example of what a cloud-first transformation can achieve.

Old Mutual’s Cloud-First Breakthrough

Old Mutual’s Group CIO, Dhesen Ramsamy, told Gadget ahead of the event that the company has “become almost a 100% cloud-based organisation,” thanks to decisive leadership and strong executive sponsorship that pushed the migration forward.

“Our migration was largely completed in 2023,” Ramsamy said. “We’re now focused on optimizing costs and deepening our cloud-first mindset to accelerate innovation and product development.”

This proactive strategy has placed Old Mutual far ahead of most African enterprises, many of which are still designing their cloud roadmaps. The insurer is already seeing measurable improvements in agility, infrastructure resilience, and operational efficiency — advantages that form a strong foundation for integrating AI into its business model.

AI for Measurable Business Impact

Opening the event, Mike Sicilia, Oracle’s Executive Vice President for Global Industries, emphasized that financial institutions are among the fastest adopters of AI because of their data-intensive operations.

“These organizations don’t want AI for the sake of innovation,” Sicilia said. “They’re focused on AI that enhances reporting speed, strengthens compliance, and refines risk management.”

Adding to this, Steve Miranda, Oracle’s EVP of Applications Development, highlighted that customers are already realizing practical returns:

“Our clients are closing books faster, improving recruitment, and running supply chains with greater precision. This isn’t theoretical — it’s happening today.”

Africa’s Acceleration in the Cloud Era

For Oracle, the African market represents a critical growth frontier for both cloud and AI adoption. Richard Smith, EVP for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), noted that demand is expanding rapidly across the continent:

“It’s not limited to South Africa. We’re seeing momentum in East, West, and North Africa as well. Enterprises everywhere are looking for secure, resilient infrastructure and a partner they can rely on long term.”

Cormac Watters, Oracle’s Vice President for Applications in EMEA, described the region as “a market in motion”:

“Many organizations are exploring AI — even if they’re still defining what it means for them. The key priority now is ensuring their platforms are ready to activate AI when the time is right.”

From Cloud Foundations to Intelligent Enterprises

Old Mutual’s trajectory reflects a broader shift across the continent, from cloud adoption to AI enablement.

“We’re still early in our AI journey,” Ramsamy acknowledged. “But our approach is focused on practical, value-driven use cases rather than experimentation. Over the next few years, AI will evolve from pilot programs to embedded capabilities that enhance decision-making, efficiency, and customer engagement.”

For Oracle, this progression, from cloud readiness to AI maturity, represents the core opportunity in Africa’s digital transformation story.

“If financial institutions can unlock faster insights, greater compliance, and meaningful AI outcomes,” Sicilia said, “they’ll set the tone for every other industry to follow.”

The Next Phase of Africa’s Digital Growth

As African enterprises confront challenges around cost, regulation, and talent, Oracle’s dual strategy, combining AI-ready cloud infrastructure with industry-specific expertise, positions it as a catalyst for sustainable innovation across the region.

Old Mutual’s success illustrates a pivotal lesson: true AI transformation begins with cloud confidence. And as more African businesses follow suit, the continent’s digital future will increasingly be built on secure, scalable, and data-driven foundations.