On Tuesday, 18 March 2025, Bank Windhoek's Annual Stakeholder Engagement Session took place at the Hilton Hotel in Windhoek. While embracing the dawn of a new era defined by artificial intelligence's (AI) swift and seismic transformation the event explored how AI reshapes industries, challenges old paradigms, and presents stark choices to embrace or retreat from it.
Bank Windhoek's Managing Director, Baronice Hans said, “Africa stands at the crossroads of this revolution. The decisions we make today will echo for generations to come. We must not simply adopt AI but shape, define, and ensure that it serves our people, economies, and aspirations. We must harness its potential not as an instrument of dependency but as a force for sovereignty, innovation, and sustainable growth," she said.
Hans said that Bank Windhoek will develop AI-driven solutions that honour its values, protect data privacy, and expand access to financial services. “We will ensure that, in the pursuit of progress, we never lose sight of the fundamental principles that define us: integrity, trust, and being a responsible corporate citizen," she said.
Programme Director at the University of Numerique in Senegal and Member of the United Nations (UN) Secretary General High-Level Advisory Body on AI, Seydina Moussa Ndiaye, delivered the keynote address titled “Africa Stands at the Crossroads of the AI Revolution; We Must Shape Our Destiny by Crafting AI Strategies That Safeguard Our Sovereignty."
Dr Ndiaye highlighted that AI has existed since 1948 and urged Africa to transition from consuming AI to producing AI.
With Africa's potential to influence AI, he said it is vital to understand that data is at the heart of it. He said that as Africans collect and manage data, they can create relatable AI tools and strategies to drive sustainable growth, empower businesses, and build a more inclusive digital economy.
“When AI is built with local data and is uniquely tailored to the African context, including culture and way of thinking, AI can solve African problems across various sectors," he said.
Additionally, Dr Ndiaye said it is vital that the banking sector aggressively adopts ethical AI to remain trustworthy and competitive in a world where AI rapidly progresses and evolves.
Bank Windhoek's Digital Data and Customer Transformation Executive Officer, Ryan Geyser said the urgency and importance of AI in shaping Africa's future are visible. “We must continue to collaborate, learn and take decisive action to shape our AI-driven future that is inclusive, ethical and beneficial to all," he said. Geyser concluded that in Africa's volatile geopolitical landscape, “It is important for us as Africans to solve our own problems. AI gives us an avenue to explore that possibility."
The Bank Windhoek's Annual Stakeholder Engagement Session brings together the Bank's customers to discuss a topic of great significance in today's global economic landscape. Bank Windhoek's ambition is to reinforce being Connectors of Positive Change, to collaborate and partner with customers to understand and add value to their business.
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