Bridging the Digital Divide: The Efficacy of Mentor Ship-based Coaching in Enhancing AI Competencies for Agri-business Owners in West Region of Cameroon

This study investigated the efficacy of mentorship-based coaching in enhancing artificial intelligence (AI) competencies among agri-business owners in the West Region of Cameroon. Primary data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 384 agripreneurs who had participated in mentorship programs. A quantitative research design was adopted, and hypotheses were tested using multiple regression analysis with Ordinary Least Squares estimation. The findings reveal that mentorship programs have a positive and statistically significant influence on AI competency development (β = 0.413, p < 0.01), explaining approximately 30% of the variance (R² = 0.3012), while structured coaching plans exhibit a positive but insignificant influence (β = 0.128, p = 0.078). The study concludes that mentorship-based coaching serves as an effective mechanism for bridging the digital divide and enhancing AI competencies among agri-business owners. The study recommends that agricultural organizations implement structured mentorship programs incorporating practical AI training and specifically target women agripreneurs who show greater responsiveness to such interventions.