With AI rapidly shifting from simple automation to independent, agentic systems, Linda Saunders, Country Manager & Senior Director Solution Engineering, Africa at Salesforce, argues that Africa’s success will depend on establishing five core organisational functions
I’ve just returned from Dreamforce 2025 in San Francisco, where leaders from around the world were discussing what comes next in the “agentic era”- a future where Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems don’t just automate tasks, but plan, reason, and act independently to achieve complex goals. What struck me most is how relevant these conversations are for Africa right now.
Across the continent, businesses are being asked to do more with less. They are expected to grow faster and serve more people, but budgets and teams are not expanding at the same pace. AI can help bridge that gap- not as a flashy new tool, but as a dependable partner that takes on the heavy lifting. Achieving this requires more than technology; it requires the right organizational functions to guide and manage AI adoption safely, ethically, and effectively.
From where I sit, these five functions are essential for any African business preparing for this new era:
AI Agent Management- Turning Ideas into Action
This role ensures that AI is deployed for the right reasons and delivers clear business outcomes. It begins by identifying where AI can make a measurable difference, whether in improving customer service, streamlining internal processes, or advancing financial inclusion. Companies like Absa, are already using AI to provide faster, more accessible banking services, demonstrating the real-world potential of these systems.
Given the understandable skepticism around AI in Africa, particularly concerns about job losses or data misuse, any AI deployment should demonstrate practical, tangible benefits. It’s time to move beyond experiments and focus on work that truly matters.
AI Risk and Governance- Building Trust from the Start
AI’s impact depends on trust, which requires safety barriers from the very start. Africa faces a unique challenge: many global AI models are trained on data that doesn’t reflect our languages, cultures, or contexts. This can lead to bias, errors, and even harm, as seen with content systems that fail to moderate hate speech in African languages.
Strong AI governance, covering people, processes and technology establishes the right safeguards: bias testing, transparency reviews, data protection, and continuous monitoring. This is not red tape; it’s essential for building and maintaining trust. If AI systems are going to act and make decisions independently, those safeguards need to be visible and consistent, and robust.
AI Operations Management- Scaling for Dependability
The reality is that nearly 95% of AI pilots fail, often because companies try to build everything from scratch and encounter security risks, poor data quality or escalating costs. In Africa, failed pilots are even more painful because budgets are tighter. The AI operations management function addresses this by ensuring that AI systems are deployed correctly, remain stable, perform reliably, and stay secure.
At the heart of this function is the AI platform engineer, who connects agents, data and applications into a seamless, dependable workflow. While the management team ensures operations align with organizational objectives, the platform engineer makes the system run smoothly, continuously, and at scale.
AI Workforce Training & Development- Bridging Tech and Talent
Technology only works when people understand how and when to use it. This is where the training function becomes critical. A significant digital literacy gap exists, with only half of African countries including computer skills in their school curricula.
The AI learning and development manager needs to prioritise structured training, moving from basic AI awareness to role-specific capability development, ensuring employees are prepared for the “human-agent collaboration” that defines the future of work. Salesforce’s latest Slack Workforce Index shows people using AI are 81% more satisfied with their job than those who aren’t, making training a critical function for talent attraction and retention.
AI Workforce Integration- Augmenting Human Potential
This function focuses on creating seamless, productive collaboration between human employees and AI systems. The goal is to augment human capabilities, allowing employees to focus on creative and strategic tasks while reducing friction.
By automating repetitive and time-consuming activities, AI can free employees to focus on high-value work and strategic initiatives. We’ve seen real-world success, such as Secret Escapes, increasing autonomous resolution rates from 10% to 30%, which allows human employees to focus on higher-value interactions. The AI collaboration strategist identifies essential interaction points and optimizes collaboration models to ensure AI enhances our human ingenuity.
Africa’s Opportunity in the Agentic Era
The shift toward agentic systems is not just another tech upgrade; it fundamentally changes how work is done. For Africa, it presents an extraordinary opportunity; the ability to deliver better public services, respond faster, and grow without inflating already limited budgets.
These five functions, from governance to workforce integration, give organizations the structure they need to use AI safely and effectively. Without them, AI is guesswork; with them, it becomes a genuine driver of growth.
Can we, as Africans, afford to miss this opportunity to make meaningful change on a continent that knows too well the price we pay for being left behind?
