The Women in AI Executive Forum, hosted by TeKnowledge in Lagos, has called on women leaders to move beyond simply using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to actively participating in decisions about how the technology is developed, governed, and deployed. The forum, held on September 30, 2026, brought together over 30 senior women leaders and emerging female professionals to examine the leadership skills, opportunities, and responsibilities required as AI increasingly transforms workplaces and society.
Aileen Allkins, President and Chief Executive Officer of TeKnowledge, challenged participants to look beyond learning how to operate AI tools and develop a deeper understanding of the technology and the decisions behind it. She emphasized that women needed to become more curious and confident about issues surrounding AI, including the data used to train and operate systems, the way decisions are made, governance, risk, and the broader impact of the technology.
The forum featured a roundtable discussion between mentors and mentees on the leadership qualities that would become increasingly important in an AI-driven business environment. Participants identified curiosity, courage, judgement, and discernment as key attributes for leaders who would have to make decisions in workplaces where AI-generated recommendations and automated systems are becoming more common.
Ola Williams, Chief Growth and AI Officer for Microsoft Middle East and Africa, urged women leaders to move beyond experimenting with AI and become active participants in determining how organisations integrate the technology. She stressed the responsibility of current women leaders to prepare younger professionals for a working environment in which AI is expected to have an increasing influence on careers, workplaces, and opportunities.
The participants further examined the importance of maintaining human judgement as AI becomes more deeply integrated into organisational decision-making. While AI systems can generate recommendations, options, and insights, the forum noted that leaders would continue to be responsible for interrogating those outputs, understanding their implications, and determining whether they were consistent with organisational values and objectives.
The mentor-mentee format provided an avenue for experienced professionals to share their experiences with emerging women leaders while helping them develop the confidence and knowledge required to participate in future AI-related decisions. Allkins challenged participants to translate the discussions into practical action rather than allowing the forum to remain solely a platform for dialogue.
The Women in AI Executive Forum forms part of a broader series of engagements TeKnowledge plans to convene to sustain discussions around AI and create additional opportunities for women to engage with the technology’s implications. The company said its objective was not merely to increase awareness of AI among women, but to encourage more women leaders to become informed participants in decisions that would shape the technology’s future.
Key points
- Women leaders must move beyond simply using AI tools to actively participating in decisions about how the technology is developed, governed, and deployed.
- The forum emphasized the need for greater diversity in the development and application of AI, particularly as organisations across Africa accelerate their adoption of the technology.
- Women leaders should develop key attributes such as curiosity, courage, judgement, and discernment to make decisions in workplaces where AI-generated recommendations and automated systems are becoming more common.
