By Francis Ntow
Accra, Oct. 5, GNA – Mr John Healy, Head of Development and Strategy at Brainify, has urged Africa to equip its youth with skills to pursue solopreneurship as AI reshapes work.
He said the growing adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) would create new economic opportunities but require young Africans to move beyond traditional employment and develop technology-enabled sources of income.
Mr Healy made the call during a webinar organised by Ignite, the parent social enterprise of Brainify, an AI-powered learning ecosystem.
He said AI was fundamentally changing how people lived, worked and communicated, accelerating productivity and transforming daily life.
“AI will fundamentally change how people live, work and communicate, accelerating productivity and transforming every aspect of daily life and the conversation must move beyond traditional job-seeking and resume building to how individuals can harness AI to create their own economic paths” he said.
Mr Healy said the current AI revolution represented a major technological turning point, citing transformations associated with companies such as Amazon and Google, the first iPhone and social media.
He cited a Microsoft AI Economy Institute Global Diffusion report which indicated that about 18.8 per cent of the global population used generative AI, with adoption remaining uneven across regions.
He said 28.8 per cent of people in the Global North used AI, compared with about 16.2 per cent in the Global South, including Ghana, other African countries and developing economies.
Mr Healy said Africa needed to accelerate AI adoption by expanding internet access, taking advantage of declining phone prices and improving access to relevant courses and hardware.
He said the continent also needed structured platforms to help its population understand and apply AI to create new economic opportunities.
“The solopreneur will see more Africans upskilling and showcasing their new skills on global freelance platforms like Upwork and Fiverr. This shift presupposes a huge surge in re-education and re-skilling across the continent,” he said.
Mr Healy said Brainify had developed an AI-powered learning ecosystem to demonstrate that rapid technological transformation was possible and was already taking place in Africa and beyond.
He said the platform was available in 15 languages, including French, and encouraged Africans to begin their AI education journey.
Ignite, an e-commerce and product distribution company, has attracted more than 7,000 brands since its establishment in April 2026, with products spanning energy and wellness, homecare, AI-based education and lifestyle.
Mr Nathan Kwabena Adisi, an Ignite Global Advisory Board member, said the company had engaged key state institutions in Ghana, including the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), Ministry of Education, 24-Hour Economy Secretariat and Ministry of Trade.
He said the engagements were aimed at ensuring regulatory compliance and strengthening public confidence in the company’s operations.
Mr Adisi said Ignite maintained zero tolerance for fraud and would cooperate fully with security agencies to ensure accountability and public trust.
He said the company was focused on strengthening existing markets and responsibly assessing new opportunities across Sub-Saharan Africa based on regulatory requirements.
Mr Adisi said Ghana was strategic because of its business environment and entrepreneurial spirit and would serve as a model for expansion across the sub-region.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Francis Ntow