FirstBank’s SMEConnect Webinar to Teach Businesses How to Harness AI for Growth
FirstBank, West Africa’s leading financial institution and champion of financial inclusion, is set to host the next edition of its SMEConnect Webinar on Tuesday, 31 March 2026. The event aims to equip small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with essential knowledge and tools to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) for business expansion and success.
This session is carefully designed to educate SMEs on how AI can be effectively applied to grow their operations in today’s fast-changing digital landscape. The theme, “AI for Business Growth: From Adoption to Integration and Scalable Impact,” underscores the significance of AI as a transformative trend influencing the SME sector. Attendees will receive practical insights into using AI to boost productivity, optimize processes, enhance customer engagement, and make data-driven decisions.
The webinar will feature prominent experts, including Temitope Odude, Senior AI Solutions Architect at Microsoft, who will share insights on how SMEs can successfully adopt and embed AI into their daily business activities. Other speakers include Abednego Ugwueke, Head of Digital Channels, and Ibidun Adedewe, Head of SME Acquisition & Partnerships at FirstBank.
Chuma Ezirim, Group Executive of e-Business and Retail Products at FirstBank, commented, “SMEs are the backbone of the Nigerian economy, and at FirstBank, we recognise that the economy cannot thrive without them. As a committed growth partner to SMEs, this session reinforces our strong focus on innovation, demonstrated through initiatives such as the use of AI‑enabled credit scoring to deliver fast, instant loans to micro‑SMEs, with over ₦1 trillion disbursed to support customers’ financial needs. Building on this foundation, we are equipping business owners with the right knowledge and practical insights on Artificial Intelligence to help them scale in the short term and drive sustainable growth. I encourage every business owner to participate in this session to gain hands‑on guidance on integrating AI into everyday business operations.”
SME owners and entrepreneurs can register for the webinar at https://firstbanknigeria.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cUr1LhWFQXymTqWtONOOVg
The SMEConnect Webinar series remains one of FirstBank’s flagship initiatives to provide SMEs with strategic insights and practical knowledge. The bank has consistently been recognized for its impactful support of businesses and innovative solutions, earning awards such as Best SME Bank in Nigeria and Best SME Bank in Africa by the TAB Global Excellence in Retail Finance Awards (2025), along with the SME Financier of the Year- Nigeria award from The Digital Banker.