Kayode Kolawole is the Sales and Marketing Director of Nagode Industries and author of Salesperson’s Pocket Guide to Artificial Intelligence. In this interview with VICTORIA NWACHUKWU, he discusses AI adoption among Nigerian sales and marketing professionals, the need to democratise AI literacy and why professionals who embrace the technology will have a competitive edge in the future workplace.

How would you assess the current level of AI readiness among Nigerian sales and marketing professionals, and what gaps need to be addressed for meaningful adoption?
Nigeria’s sales and marketing professionals are at an inflexion point in their AI readiness. There is growing awareness of AI’s potential to transform customer engagement, lead generation and market expansion. Many professionals today are experimenting with tools for automation, analytics and personalisation.

However, readiness remains uneven, and adoption at scale faces structural challenges. First, there is a skills gap. While younger professionals are digitally curious, structured training in AI-driven sales techniques remains limited. Most sales teams still rely heavily on traditional methods, spending countless hours on cold calls, manually tracking leads and relying heavily on instinct and experience to close deals, with AI seen only as a “nice-to-have” rather than a core competency.

Another area of concern is infrastructure constraints such as inconsistent data quality, fragmented CRM systems and limited integration across channels. Organisational culture also often lags behind technology. Leadership buy-in, change management and trust in data-driven decision-making are not yet universal.

To bridge these gaps, Nigeria needs capacity building through targeted training programmes, investment in data infrastructure and interoperable systems, and leadership commitment to embedding AI into sales strategy rather than treating it as a side experiment.

There is still a perception that AI is only for large corporations. How can SMEs and independent professionals begin integrating AI into their operations?
The idea that AI is only for multinationals is outdated. In Nigeria today, small businesses and independent sales professionals can start integrating AI without incurring high costs or requiring technical expertise.

Simple, affordable tools such as AI-powered chatbots for customer service or WhatsApp automation for lead follow-up are already accessible. The real shift here is mindset: seeing AI not as a luxury but as a productivity partner, a companion, and a game-changer.

By starting small and focusing on everyday tasks like prospecting, customer engagement, automating repetitive tasks, gathering customer and competitor insights, and tracking data, SMEs can unlock efficiency gains and compete more effectively in a fast-moving market.

What inspired you to write Salesperson’s Pocket Guide to Artificial Intelligence and make it freely available?
The inspiration came directly from my decades of experience across Nigeria and West Africa, where I saw talented salespeople working tirelessly but often without the digital leverage their counterparts in more developed markets enjoy.

In Nigeria especially, sales and marketing teams face fragmented data, limited access to structured training and a perception that AI is only for big corporations and businesses. I wanted to break that myth.

The book is designed to demystify AI, showing how even small businesses and individual entrepreneurs can use simple, affordable tools to automate routine tasks, gain insights from customer data and compete more effectively. The problem I set out to solve was not just to democratise knowledge, but to make AI practical, relatable and actionable for Africa’s sales ecosystem.

For me, democratising access to knowledge is more urgent than monetising it. People who need this knowledge most are often the ones who cannot afford it — young salespeople, fresh graduates and young professionals trying to find their way.

People in emerging markets are competing with global standards but lack access to quality training. The world is changing fast. Artificial intelligence is moving quickly. The sales profession is transforming.

If we do not democratise knowledge today, many people, especially in Africa, will be left behind tomorrow. The decision allows any sales professional, regardless of background, company size, or budget, to download the work and freely reproduce or apply its insights. AI literacy should be a public good, not a privilege.

What are the most persistent misconceptions about AI in sales and marketing?
Across Nigeria and West Africa, the most persistent misconceptions are that AI will replace human jobs, that it is too complex for non-technical professionals and that it is expensive.

These fears persist because many businesses still lack exposure to practical, low-cost AI applications, while global conversations often highlight futuristic use cases rather than everyday tools.

In reality, AI is not here to replace the salesperson. It is here to augment them.

By automating repetitive tasks, improving customer insights and enabling smarter decision-making, AI frees professionals to focus on building relationships and driving growth.

AI will not take salespeople’s jobs; however, professionals who use AI will replace those who do not.

The adoption of your book by the Million Technical Talent (3MTT) represents a significant institutional recognition. What does this development signal about Nigeria’s approach to AI literacy?
The adoption of The Salesperson’s Pocket Guide to Artificial Intelligence by Nigeria’s 3MTT, for me, is more than recognition; it signals a shift in how the country views AI literacy.

Until recently, AI was seen as a distant digital technology tool reserved for global corporations, but this move shows that Nigeria is now embedding AI into its national workforce development agenda.

At my last engagement with 3MTT participants during their NextGen Knowledge Showcase Pitch in Lagos earlier this year, the event showcased innovation, creativity, emerging digital talents and inspiring young innovators among Nigerian youth transitioning into the next phase of their careers.

I hope that the material will empower the next generation of Nigerian professionals to see AI not as an abstract theory but as a practical tool for sales, marketing, and entrepreneurship. If they can internalise these skills early, they will not only transform local business practices but also position Africa as a contributor to the global digital economy.

How do you see AI reshaping customer acquisition, retention and business development over the next five years?
Sales and marketing will always be rooted in human trust and relationships, but AI is set to reshape how those relationships are built and sustained.

Over the next five years, predictive analytics will help businesses anticipate customer needs with far greater accuracy, generative AI will enable personalised content and proposals at scale, and automation will streamline repetitive tasks such as lead qualification, follow-ups and routine emails.

In Nigeria and across African markets, customer acquisition will become more data-driven, retention strategies will be more personalised and business development will shift from intuition alone to a blend of human insight and machine intelligence.

The real opportunity is not replacing the human touch but amplifying it. AI handles the data; humans handle the relationship.

Do you see AI as simply another technological tool or as a fundamental shift?
AI is not just another tool. It represents a fundamental shift in how African businesses will compete, grow and engage customers in the coming decade.

Unlike past technologies that digitised existing processes, AI introduces intelligence into sales and marketing. Predictive analytics anticipate customer needs, generative AI personalises engagement at scale, while automation frees professionals from repetitive tasks.

For Nigerian businesses, the competitive edge will no longer come from who works hardest, but from who works smartest with AI. The companies that embrace this shift will redefine customer acquisition, retention, business development and revenue growth across the continent.

What advice would you give Nigerian professionals concerned about AI replacing jobs?
The path forward is clear: position yourself as indispensable by combining human strengths with AI capabilities.

Trust, empathy and cultural understanding will always be uniquely human, but professionals who learn to use predictive analytics, generative AI and automation as tools will gain a competitive edge.

The key is to embrace AI as a supporter, letting it handle repetitive tasks and data insights while you focus on relationships, strategy and creativity. Those who adapt will not only remain relevant, but they will also lead in an AI-driven economy.

Looking ahead, what role should entrepreneurs, policymakers and educational institutions play in shaping AI development in Africa?
Africa cannot afford to be a passive consumer of AI innovations built elsewhere; instead, we must be active shapers of the technology.

Entrepreneurs and professionals have the responsibility to experiment with practical AI applications that solve local business challenges. Policymakers must create enabling frameworks that balance innovation with ethical governance. At the same time, educational institutions should embed AI literacy in curricula so that the next generation sees it as a core skill rather than a niche speciality.

Together, these actors can ensure that AI development on the continent reflects Africa’s realities — our languages, markets, and infrastructure — and positions the continent not just to adapt but to help define how AI serves humanity.