Mary Nnah
The future of work took center stage in Lagos during the weekend as HR leaders, CEOs, and tech disruptors declared the old rules of productivity dead – warning that Nigerian businesses that fail to embrace AI and analytics will be crushed by the new economy.
The 11th edition of the HR Expo Africa Work Festival exploded into action with the theme “Redefining Productivity in the Age of AI and Analytics,” setting off a fierce debate on jobs, skills, and survival in a world where machines now do in minutes what humans once did in hours.
Keynote speaker Ruby Igwe, Regional Director for ALX Africa in West and Central Africa, dropped the first bombshell: “AI is changing the definition of productivity.
The real question now is: what do we do with the extra time it creates? How do we use it to drive better outcomes and create more value?”
Igwe, whose organisation is training hundreds of thousands across Africa in AI, data, leadership and entrepreneurship, challenged professionals to conduct urgent personal skills gap analyses and master emerging tools.
But she issued a stark warning against blind dependence on AI, cautioning that over-reliance could trigger an “AI slump” — a dangerous drop in originality and critical thinking. “AI is a tool, not a replacement for human intelligence. You must still think, analyze, and protect sensitive data,” she declared.
The Director-General of the Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, shifted the heat to human capital, insisting that coaching is not a cost but a weapon for growth.
“If you fix the person, the person’s ability to fix the business becomes higher. Coaching should be seen as an investment, not a cost,” Oyerinde said.
He warned that as AI adoption surges, organisations must urgently erect governance, ethics, and compliance firewalls to prevent abuse.
Convener and HREA founder, Erefa Coker, positioned HR as “the driver of the driver,” reminding delegates that organisations remain fundamentally people-powered.
Tracing the conference’s evolution – from early predictions on the future of work to digital transformation and remote working long before COVID-19 forced the shift – Coker said the message for 2026 is brutal in its clarity: “Today, productivity is no longer about hours worked. It is about value creation. AI can automate tasks, but humans must define value.”
She stressed that ethical considerations, transparency, and policy development around AI are now non-negotiable for any serious organisation.
In a masterclass that hit managers where it hurts, Group Head of HR at Sahara Group Emilomo Arorote declared: “Managers are the experience. Employees’ engagement and retention depend largely on their relationship with their managers.”
Arorote laid out the new battlegrounds for productivity – organisational culture, talent development, succession planning, and technology adoption – insisting managers must align employees with organisational vision or watch productivity collapse.
Head of People and Stakeholder Experience at TSL Logistics, Ifiok Ezenwa, exposed a costly corporate blind spot: hidden talent.
“Employees are more than their job roles. AI-powered talent marketplaces can reveal hidden skills and connect people to opportunities within the organization,” Ezenwa said.
She argued that many firms haemorrhage cash on external hiring while ignoring goldmines of skill inside their own walls, adding that internal marketplaces boost both productivity and retention.
Managing Partner at DBrown Consulting, David Brown, fired a direct shot at AI complacency: “Do not abdicate to AI but delegate to AI.”
While AI crushes repetitive tasks, Brown insisted professionals must keep responsibility, apply judgment, and guarantee accuracy.
His verdict was blunt: “People who embrace AI will become more competitive and profitable. Those who don’t risk being left behind.”
Associate Professor of International HRM at London South Bank University, Mr. John Opute, urged leaders to reject copycat culture and “focus on what matters.”
He challenged HR practitioners to identify their most pressing needs — whether in recruitment, training, performance management, employee relations, or rewards – and channel energy there.
“Each and every one of us is going through different stages in life. What is happening in another company may be totally irrelevant to your organisation, you don’t have to copy.
“Focus on what matters to you. What matters is what will make the difference, not just what you are doing, stating the reigning outfit may not fit you. Sew the one that suits you,” Opute said.
Founder of Black Women in Human Resources, Mrs. Adese Okojie, hailed the HREA Work Festival 2026 as a critical engine for collaboration, describing it as a continuous drive bringing together HR professionals across industries to confront emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the future of work.
Senior Manager and Head of Talent Management at Polaris Bank, Cynthia Sanyaolu, called the programme “an agent of change” for embedding AI into every organisational sector.
Her warning was final: “There’s no going back to status quo. The worst we can do is to remain where we are, but the best thing we can do as individuals and within organisations is to begin now to make accommodation for the shifting world of work. With AI, automation, robotics, work is not going to be the same.”
Held amid global upheaval in the workplace, the HREA Work Festival 2026 made one thing clear: In the AI era, productivity is no longer about clocking hours – it’s about creating value, deploying intelligence, and designing human-centred work. For Nigeria’s economy, the message is urgent: Adapt or die.
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