Ihifix Digital Technologies has intensified its drive to build what it describes as Africa’s biggest business movement after training more than 15,000 entrepreneurs across Nigeria and the diaspora in 2025 alone.
The renewed push was announced at the Afriscale 2025 Conference in Kaduna, which brought together business owners, investors, tech leaders and policymakers under the theme “Scaling with Intelligence: How AI Is Powering Africa’s Next-Generation Businesses.”
Convener of the conference, Emmanuel Odeh Adikpe, said Afriscale was designed to equip entrepreneurs with tools, structures and networks needed to scale faster without increasing overhead costs.
According to him, Ihifix’s work has expanded beyond Nigeria, with participants from the United States, the United Kingdom and several African countries joining both physically and online.
“We have trained more than 15,000 entrepreneurs this year alone, and that is because businesses in Africa already have what it takes to serve global markets,” he said. “They only need the right structure, tools and community to scale. What we are doing here is connecting those dots.”
Adikpe explained that the conference targets existing business owners rather than beginners, with sessions focused on strengthening current products and services.
“Everyone coming here is already in business. We are helping them optimise what they do, tweak it and point them to systems that can help them sell better, market better and build sustainable structures,” he said.
On artificial intelligence, Adikpe said the programme prioritises practical and business-ready applications that can be deployed immediately.
“A lot of things business owners do manually can be automated. We’ve been training them for months on using AI for customer targeting, ads, automation, chatbots and segmentation. Understanding where your customer is every time gives you leverage,” he added.
He disclosed that selected participants would receive seed funding, while others would benefit from branding support, websites, e-commerce setups and digital advertising packages to help accelerate growth.
Speaking at the event, the Special Assistant on IT to the Kaduna State Governor, Musa Bello, advised entrepreneurs to see AI as an opportunity rather than a threat.
“Artificial intelligence is not here to take away people’s jobs but to make work easier,” he said, urging participants to collaborate and adopt smarter methods in running their businesses.
A lecturer and entrepreneur at the conference, Eugenia Ndukwe, stressed the importance of strong internal structures for businesses hoping to benefit from AI.
“We are here because we want to scale our businesses. But the foundation must be solid. Confidence, structure and problem-solving must come before the tools,” she said.
Ndukwe also called on government to reduce taxes and expand access to funding for scalable ideas, noting that such support could significantly impact the economy.
One of the participants, Aisha Raji, who runs a refreshments business, said the training exposed her to new possibilities.
“I got many business strategy tips here and it’s a game changer for me,” she said.
Organisers said Afriscale is positioned to become one of Africa’s largest business-support movements, with a mission to help entrepreneurs scale faster through AI-powered tools, structured mentorship, funding support and cross-continental networking in Africa today.
