MIPAN AGM: Media and Marketing Experts Call for Strategic AI Adoption, Urgent Upskilling

The Nigerian advertising and marketing industry stands at a critical juncture, facing both the immense opportunity and the palpable fear presented by Artificial Intelligence (AI). This was the central theme of a heated panel discussion during the 2025 Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN) Annual General Meeting held recently in Lagos, where industry leaders called for a strategic shift from conversation to concrete action.

Panellists unanimously agreed that AI is no longer a futuristic concept but a present-day reality transforming the sector. Oyedeji Timilehin, Senior Client Partner at Aleph, explained that Nigerian businesses are already leveraging AI beyond the “buzz”.

“Businesses, brands, agencies are now beginning to leverage AI for targeting and media buying,” Timilehin stated. He detailed how global platforms like Google and Meta have integrated AI at their core, enabling advertisers to drive personalisation at scale, reduce manual labour, and improve production efficiency. He emphasised that the ultimate result for businesses using AI effectively is a “better return on investment because their data helps them predict the future” and offer solutions to consumers “even when those consumers don’t believe they need it yet”.

However, adoption is not without its hurdles. George Onukwu, Chief Operating Officer at TBWA/Concept, described a schism within the industry. “There are two camps whenever I engage with a lot of my peers. There’s a camp of fear and then you have the other camp which is seeing it as an opportunity, as a tool for augmentation and to improve efficiency,” he said. Placing himself firmly in the latter, Onukwu revealed how his agency has embraced AI as a “very good collaborator”, developing customised GPTs for clients that can generate ideas and research insights in minutes—a process that previously took weeks.

Sandra Amachree, Head of Marketing Communications at HEINEKEN Nigeria, offered a pragmatic client-side perspective, reminding the audience that AI has been with us for a long time in subtle forms. While Nigerian consumers are largely not worried about AI-powered marketing due to its currently low application, she noted that large organisations remain cautious.

“We don’t necessarily use AI to create TV scripts or to produce TV materials because the proprietary nature of the content that is generated means you cannot 100% claim ownership,” Amachree explained, stressing the need for brands to maintain integrity. She later called on Nigerian agencies to be bolder, remarking, “Our counterparts outside of the country are not afraid to say that they got help from AI. But Nigerians sometimes are a bit shy.”

A major concern raised was the widening talent gap, which threatens to undermine any technological advancement. Uwem Afanide, Managing Director of All Seasons Zenith, delivered a stark warning about the state of the industry’s skill set.

“We’ve lost it in this industry where you interview some people and ask yourself questions… the skill sets are not there,” Afanide lamented. He argued that the Nigerian industry is becoming “very uncompetitive on the global stage” and urged agencies to invest in retraining their staff rather than poaching from competitors. “We need to, as agencies, begin to retrain our people for the right skills in the modern world,” he implored.

The challenge is compounded by the need to localise global technology. Oga Maduagwu, Head of Marketing & Communications at Samsung Electronics West Africa Business, pointed out that many AI tools fail in the Nigerian context because they are built on “Western standards” that assume stable internet and seamless digital transactions.

She argued, “The tools that are available have to fit our context, not for us to then go and force-fit ourselves within that space.” Maduagwu envisions a future where technology adapts to Nigeria’s unique landscape, including improved voice recognition that understands local languages and nuances.

As the industry navigates data privacy regulations and the push for greater efficiency, the panellists converged on a final piece of advice. George Onukwu urged agencies to focus on delivering tangible results. “The era of focusing on vanity and vanity metrics… is now over,” he declared. “Our clients are looking for value and asking questions about what value we bring to the table.”

The discussion concluded with a powerful call to action: to be proactive in understanding AI, to champion regulation and accountability, and, most importantly, to intentionally implement these tools to secure the future of the industry.