Why agentic AI is a game changer for African businesses

As we move closer to an age where our minds can be applied to solving bigger problems while AI agents take care of mundane processes, we reach a pivotal moment for businesses; embrace the Agentic era and grow or ignore it and risk seeing competitors surpass you. If the digital era has taught us anything, it’s that today’s novelty could easily become tomorrow’s norm. For businesses that want to grow, it’s time to bridge the AI readiness gap.

The human benefit of agentic AI

The use of AI agents undoubtedly delivers results for businesses across many functions – read more in Google Cloud’s ROI of AI 2025 Report here. However, the benefits of the Agentic era extend to the people behind businesses too. The reality for many employees is having to produce more with less, from higher targets and lower budgets to shorter timelines and bigger briefs. People are inundated with work and responsibilities. AI agents are designed to ease the workload, empowering human growth and innovation. Growth today means moving beyond the fear that AI could replace jobs and understanding that human intervention will always be essential. In Africa, business ambitions can be realised with an AI-ready foundation.

Opportunities created by agentic AI in Africa

Agentic AI offers an opportunity for people in Africa to innovate for Africa. Our continent is home to a wealth of cultures and languages and by training AI agents, businesses can connect with customers like never before.

Small and Medium Enterprises are known to be the backbone of Africa’s economy and AI agents can enable their success. Agentic AI makes it possible for entrepreneurs to grow and deliver on multiple functions without needing to invest in hiring lots of people upfront.

We rely heavily on agriculture in Africa and Agentic AI can play a role in solving problems for farmers. Considering that more than half of Africans depend on agriculture for a living and the world is experiencing a food crisis, the use of AI to improve yields and boost sustainability is an essential step towards resolution.

How are businesses in Africa using agentic AI today?

The financial services industry is among those leading the way in the adoption of Agentic AI in Africa. AI agents have been trained to verify documents and banks are seeing an immediate improvement in efficiency. Document verification increased from 10 000 per day to between 50 000 and 100 000 per day.

Fraud detection and anti-money laundering teams have also deployed AI agents, delivering an added layer of protection for customers and the banks themselves.

Retailers are using AI agents to manage stock levels, increasing efficiency, boosting customer satisfaction and saving time for warehouse managers. AI agents can also be trained to detect anomalies in stock levels, picking up on errors that busy people may have missed.

A recent hackathon held by the ADG team revealed an enthusiasm for using AI agents to better serve customers. Around 90% of participants came up with customer-facing use cases for AI agents. From assisting call centre agents in wading through information to helping customers get answers on demand, the opportunities are within reach for businesses that are ready to build their AI vision.

Where to start?

While 71% of African CEOs are investing in AI, 96% of them cite data readiness as a challenge. Take these three actions as part of your plan for building an AI ready foundation:

Take control of your data security

Securing your business against cybersecurity attacks is the first step in preparing for the Agentic era. Employees are set to be the biggest target for attackers in 2026 (read more here), but the risks of vulnerabilities in legacy systems are also a reality for many businesses in Africa. Role-based access to company platforms is critical.

2. Educate your teams

For an organisation to see an ROI on AI, people need to be trained on how to write prompts. Without the ability to write an effective prompt, it becomes impossible for AI to drive a real shift in an organisation. Everyone who makes use of AI agents should also be aware of the relevant company policies and how to use these tools responsibly.

3. Develop specific use cases

Companies that use AI agents successfully start small. Rather than expecting AI to solve everything at once, focus on identifying key use cases and scenarios where AI can deliver the most value.