The Executive Director of IT and Digitalisation at Access Holdings Plc, Lanre Bamisebi, has called on technology leaders to prioritise simplicity and discipline as artificial intelligence continues to reshape the digital landscape.
Speaking at the inaugural Guest Lecture Series organised by the Quest Merchant Bank Technology Academy, Bamisebi stressed that the ability to simplify complex systems will be the most important competitive advantage in the coming decade.
Addressing a gathering of technology professionals, he challenged the industry’s obsession with constant expansion and feature-heavy innovation. According to him, true progress in the digital age is driven more by thoughtful system design than by the volume of products or capabilities built.
“The institutions that will win the next decade are not the ones that build the most,” Bamisebi said. “They are the ones that simplify the best. Progress in technology is often not about adding more; it is about having the discipline to remove what no longer works.”
Drawing lessons from global technology leaders such as Apple Inc. and Amazon, he explained that major corporate transformations rarely begin with ambitious “moonshot” projects. Instead, they typically start with a careful evaluation of broken processes and inefficiencies.
Bamisebi also highlighted that within Access Holdings Plc, operational stability remains the foundation of the institution’s digital strategy. He noted that many technology breakdowns stem not from faulty systems but from human errors in managing them.
“Technology failures are rarely caused by technology,” he said. “They are usually caused by what we do to the technology. Stability is not glamorous, but without it, nothing sustainable can be built.”
On the growing influence of generative artificial intelligence, Bamisebi dismissed fears of widespread job losses, instead describing AI as a tool that exposes inefficiencies and weak processes.
“The age of AI is not a threat to thinkers. It is a mirror. It will reveal whether your value comes from judgement or from following instructions,” he said.
Looking ahead, he described Nigeria and the wider African continent as standing at a pivotal moment in the evolution of financial infrastructure. According to him, the next generation of industry leaders will be defined by their discipline and willingness to reject unnecessary complexity.
“The institutions that will define African financial services in the next decade will not be the loudest or the most expensive,” Bamisebi concluded. “They will be the most disciplined. Less, but better. Always.”
