Businesses that fail to retrain employees and redesign job roles risk losing the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI), despite increasing investments in the technology, KPMG West Africa has warned.
Abena Ohenewaa Appiah, Associate Director for People and Change at KPMG West Africa, says organisations must make workforce reskilling, knowledge retention and effective job redesign central to their AI adoption strategies to improve productivity and remain competitive.
She explained that although AI is changing how businesses operate, inadequate workforce skills and difficulties keeping pace with technological advancements continue to hinder organisations seeking to integrate the technology into their operations.
Speaking during the presentation of the KPMG Africa CEO Outlook, Ms Appiah cited survey findings showing that 59 per cent of chief executive officers identified significant workforce skills gaps, while 58 per cent considered the accelerating pace of AI development a critical challenge.
She added that 64 per cent of respondents identified skills gaps within their organisations, underscoring the need for businesses to assess their workforce capabilities and develop targeted training programmes.
According to her, general AI training alone would not adequately prepare employees for the changes taking place across different functions.
Instead, organisations must identify specific competency gaps and equip workers with the technical and practical skills required to use AI effectively in their respective roles.
“It’s not just about the evaluation, but also finding the talent in the gap,” she said.
### AI adoption demands workforce restructuring
Ms Appiah said businesses must also reconsider how jobs are structured as AI increasingly takes over repetitive tasks and supports more complex activities.
She explained that automating routine functions, such as data entry, could allow employees to concentrate on analytical work and other responsibilities that require human judgement.
However, she stressed that such a transition would require deliberate workforce planning, with companies redefining job descriptions, responsibilities and performance expectations to reflect the changing demands of the workplace.
The survey findings indicate that organisations are preparing for significant changes in workforce composition.
According to Ms Appiah, 84 per cent of the CEOs surveyed expect their workforce numbers to increase over the next three years, even as 56 per cent anticipate workforce reductions.
Meanwhile, 86 per cent expect to retain and train existing employees, suggesting that reskilling will remain an important component of business strategies as organisations adjust to technological change.
She noted that while automation could reduce demand for certain roles, it could also create opportunities in specialised fields such as cybersecurity and data analysis.
### Retaining AI expertise remains critical
Ms Appiah also cautioned businesses against overlooking the importance of retaining employees with the expertise needed to implement and manage AI systems.
She disclosed that approximately 45 per cent of the CEOs surveyed said their organisations employed AI specialists to accelerate adoption.
However, she said recruitment alone would not be sufficient if companies failed to retain these specialists and transfer their knowledge to other employees.
Businesses, she explained, must establish systems that allow expertise to be shared across teams, ensuring that the benefits of AI investments are not lost when skilled employees leave.
She further emphasised that successful adoption requires business leaders to take direct responsibility for determining where AI can deliver value, which tasks should be automated and where human involvement remains essential.
According to her, leadership teams must also establish appropriate performance indicators to measure whether AI investments are improving productivity and overall organisational performance.
### Employee trust key to successful transition
Ms Appiah warned that poorly managed AI integration could heighten fears about job losses, weaken employee confidence and make it more difficult for businesses to retain talented workers.
She urged organisations to communicate clearly with employees about how AI would affect their roles and the opportunities available for acquiring new skills.
Building trust, she said, would help workers understand the changing nature of their responsibilities and prepare for new demands in the workplace.
She maintained that companies must treat AI adoption as a broader organisational transformation rather than a technology project or a responsibility limited to human resource departments.
Ms Appiah said closing skills gaps, retaining critical expertise and aligning workforce capabilities with business objectives would be essential for organisations seeking to translate growing interest in AI into measurable productivity gains.
