The CEO and Executive Chairman of Smith & Berkeley Advisors LLC, Kris Senanu, has urged businesses to leverage Artificial Intelligence to reduce the market risk new businesses face when entering the market.
Speaking at the 2026 Impact Leaders Breakfast, Senanu explained that the emergence of AI presents businesses with the opportunity to conduct thorough market research in the easiest way possible, from the comfort of their homes, without having to spend a lot of time and money on travel.
“If you can do the right prompts, the wealth of detailed, granular information you can get at the tip of your fingers within seconds is so good. It means that when it comes to trade, you can actually do most trade and business. You can do most of your research while seated in the comfort of under the coconut tree. You know, literally do the research before you even spend the first cedi or shilling. You’ve done 80, 90 percent of the work. In the years past, you’d have to travel,” he stated.
On intra-continental trade in Africa,Senanu stated that he believes one of the reason intra-continental trade in Africa remains relatively low is that most Africans are not exposed to the continents and the opportunities it presents.
He emphasized that most Africans don’t travel and explore the continent and that there’s no way one can do big business across the continent without traveling to the other parts of the continent to experience and understand the culture and way of life of the the people .
“You’d have to travel. I still encourage people to travel because one of the reasons we don’t do a lot of business amongst ourselves in Africa is that more often than not, we don’t travel. And I say there’s no way you can do big business with another person if you’ve not been to their country, sat with them, had dinner with them, understood the culture of doing business, the culture of the people. So we need to travel more in Africa,” he added.
Senanu then called on Ghanaian businessmen to embrace the values of honesty and integrity in their dealings across the continent , adding that the goodwill this builds can unlock significant opportunities for future business not only for themselves but other businessmen as well.
“I say that because I’ve had a lot of goodwill when I’ve done business in Zambia, done business in Mozambique. There’s always one or two people who’ve been there before me who established a level of trust because of honesty and doing business with integrity. I’ve walked into rooms where they say, ‘ah, Ghana man, okay, we’re ready to do business with you.’ I think the more of us who can espouse those values, the more of us who can go out onto the continent and do good,” he added.
Senanu’s remarks add to a growing conversation among African business leaders on how technology and trust can work together to unlock intra-continental trade.
The Impact Leaders Breakfast , founded by Kafui Prebbie is an exclusive forum that convenes Africa’s leading business executives, investors,policymakers, entrepreneurs,development partners, and innovators for strategic conversations about unlock investment and accelerating sustainable development.
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