In a bid to drive innovation and shape the future of edge solutions and AI in Africa, inq. Group, a leading global edge-solutions provider, announced its commitment to fueling the growth of AI and technological capacities in Nigeria’s energy market. Backed by Convergence Partners, inq. Group unveiled its AI-powered solutions at a media roundtable discussion held in Lagos last month.
In a keynote address, executive chairman of inq. Group, Andile Ngcaba, said the AI-powered product will be integrated into the distribution network of energy distribution companies (DisCos). This integration will enable real-time analysis of energy flow and the tracking of energy leaks, addressing a major challenge faced by DisCos. The move follows inq.’s recent success with two homegrown AI products, DocAI and VisionAI, designed for its markets across Africa and Asia.
Ngcaba emphasized that the products developed by inq. Group are not mere plug-ins to existing technologies but are locally built intellectual property in artificial intelligence. “We will lead the continent’s adoption of AI and bring it to real-life cases in agriculture, energy, and digital recognition,” he assured.
Glad Dibetso, the newly appointed Group CEO at inq. also joined the media briefing to shed more light on the group’s solutions. Having been a partner at Deloitte Consulting and CEO of West African operations at Dimension Data, Dibetso brings a wealth of experience to inq. Group’s leadership team.
In his speech, Dibetso said, “We firmly believe that inq. is poised to revolutionize the education landscape across the continent,” adding, “By empowering more students with these essential skills, we envision a rise in tech-driven small businesses, ultimately leading to the emergence of more African unicorns.”
On his part, Valentine Chime, inq. Nigeria’s managing director, highlighted that discussions with the government are already underway for the adoption of their AI solutions reinforcing inq. Group chair, Ngcaba’s optimism that Nigeria would serve as inq.’s regional hub, extending its reach to other anglophone countries in the region, marking an exciting chapter for the company’s growth in Africa.
“Nigeria stands as the foremost driver of growth in Africa, not only within ECOWAS but across the entire continent… The future growth of the African continent largely hinges on the dynamism of this country,” Ngcaba said.
The significance of inq.’s entry into Nigeria’s energy market cannot be overstated. The country’s electricity is primarily powered by distribution companies, which have struggled to remain profitable due to the lack of proper analytics to track distribution and detect energy leakages. inq. Group’s AI-powered solution aims to change this narrative and enhance the efficiency and sustainability of Nigeria’s energy sector.