ENHANCING AI COMPETITIVENESS AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION FOR GROWTH-ORIENTED SMALL BUSINESSES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Small businesses in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) face unique challenges, including limited access to finance, inadequate infrastructure, and a lack of technical expertise, all of which hinder their ability to adopt and integrate advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). Despite these challenges, technological innovation—particularly AI—holds considerable potential for enhancing the AI competitiveness and growth of small enterprises in the region. Nigeria is a key market in Africa and one of the largest economies on the continent. Moreover, small businesses are major contributors to Nigeria's economy, but they encounter many challenges, including AI competitiveness. In recent years, researchers and business experts have sought effective ways to explore the relationship between technological innovation capabilities and AI competitiveness in various contexts. Therefore, this chapter aims to examine the impact of technological innovation capabilities on the AI competitiveness of pro-growth listed small businesses in Nigeria. A closed-ended questionnaire was designed and distributed, with 421 responses received, translating to a response rate of ninety-five per cent (95%). The results of the simple linear regression analysis indicated that technological innovation capabilities have a positive and significant effect on the AI competitiveness of small, pro-growth listed businesses in Nigeria (B = 0.442, t = 7.589, p < 0.05). This suggests that technology adoption and innovation are strong predictors of AI competitiveness among small businesses in Nigeria. The chapter recommends that small businesses cultivate an organisational culture that fosters creativity, experimentation, and lifelong learning. They should ensure that senior management actively supports and contributes to technological innovation initiatives and innovative ideas, as well as allocate resources to enhance AI competitiveness.