Following his participation at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 in Dalian, China, SkillsVerse Founder Peter Bassey Okon has highlighted lessons he believes are increasingly important for Africa as artificial intelligence changes how people work, businesses operate and economies compete.
Peter was selected from more than 400 applicants to represent the Global Shapers Community at the meeting, which brought together more than 1,700 participants from over 90 countries under the theme “Innovating at Scale.”
For Peter, one of the biggest questions coming out of Dalian was not simply what artificial intelligence can do, but how countries, companies and individuals can turn rapid advances in technology into real economic value.
“There is a lot of excitement around AI, and rightly so. But access to powerful tools is not the same as being able to create value with them,” Peter said. “The more important question is whether people and businesses know how to apply these tools to improve work, solve real problems and create new opportunities.”
Access to AI is only the beginning
Peter believes Africa’s next challenge will be moving beyond widespread awareness of artificial intelligence towards practical application.
AI tools are becoming easier to access, but the value people derive from them remains uneven. For professionals, the difference may be whether AI improves the quality of their work and decision-making. For businesses, it may be whether the technology helps solve a customer problem, reduce costs or improve productivity.
“You can give ten people access to the same AI tool and get ten completely different levels of value,” Peter said. “The difference is often not access. It is what people know how to do with it.”
This, he said, is why Africa’s AI conversation must pay as much attention to capability as it does to technology.
The jobs question goes beyond whether AI will replace people
The future of jobs was another major area of discussion in Dalian. For Peter, one of the most important questions is what happens to the traditional entry points through which young people build experience.
Many of the tasks artificial intelligence can increasingly support or automate—including basic research, drafting, analysis and reporting—have traditionally formed part of entry-level work.
“We spend a lot of time asking whether AI will take jobs, but there is another question we need to ask,” Peter said. “If some of the work through which young people traditionally learn and gain experience begins to change or disappear, how do we create new ways for them to build judgement, expertise and careers?”
The question is particularly relevant for Africa, home to the world’s youngest population and millions of young people expected to enter the workforce in the years ahead.
Peter believes preparing for this shift will require more than teaching people how to use the latest tools.
“Knowing how to use AI will matter, but so will critical thinking, judgement, communication and the ability to solve problems,” he said. “We need to think about how people will continue to learn through work in an AI-enabled economy.”
Skills should be treated as infrastructure
Peter’s experience in Dalian extended beyond the main conference programme.
During his time in China, he visited Mingyuan Technology in Jinpu New Area, where he saw advanced manufacturing up close. At the Dalian EX Future Science & Technology Museum, he interacted with robots, experienced virtual reality and met Mr Li Boyang, President of Dalian EX Robot Co., Ltd.
He also visited Dalian Bingshan Group, touring its facilities and meeting Mr Xu Wei, the company’s Vice President and COO.
For Peter, seeing the technology up close reinforced the importance of the people and systems behind it.
“The robots and factories are what you immediately notice, but behind all of that are people who know how to build, operate, maintain and improve the technology,” Peter said. “It made me think about skills differently. Human capability is also infrastructure.”
He believes this has direct implications for Africa’s technology ambitions.
Investment in connectivity, software and emerging technologies will only deliver its full value when individuals and organisations have the capabilities to use them effectively.
That question is central to Peter’s work through SkillsVerse, the education technology platform he founded to help individuals and organisations build practical capabilities in artificial intelligence, data and digital skills.
Innovation is also about the ability to keep learning
One of Peter’s most memorable experiences in Dalian was visiting Bingshan Group, a company with more than 90 years of history.
What stood out to him was not simply the company’s longevity, but its continued investment in technology, research and new ways of working.
“We often associate innovation with startups and new companies,” Peter said. “But seeing a company with more than 90 years of history still learning and evolving was a reminder that innovation is also about the ability to remain relevant.”
He believes this is particularly important for established African businesses navigating rapid technological change.
Digital transformation, he said, should not be treated as a one-off project or the adoption of a new piece of software. Organisations need to build the ability to learn and adapt continuously.
“The companies that succeed may not be the ones that adopt every new technology first,” Peter said. “They may be the ones that are best at understanding what is changing, deciding what matters to their business and helping their people adapt.”
Africa’s opportunity is to turn technology into value
Peter cautions against simplistic comparisons between China and Africa, noting the differences in history, economic scale and institutions.
For him, the lesson is not that African countries should copy China. It is that the continent needs to become better at connecting ideas, skills, industry and execution.
“Africa does not lack ideas, talent or ambition,” Peter said. “The opportunity is to build stronger connections between them. How do we help good ideas become products? How do we connect learning more closely to the needs of industry? How do we help businesses move from experimentation to scale?”
Following AMNC 2026, Peter said his focus remains on helping professionals, entrepreneurs and organisations move beyond awareness of artificial intelligence towards practical application.
“The future will not be shaped only by who has access to the newest technology,” Peter said. “It will also be shaped by who can learn, adapt and turn that technology into value. For Africa, that is where I believe the real opportunity lies.”
About Peter Bassey
Peter Bassey Okon is a Nigerian digital transformation leader, educator and Founder of SkillsVerse, working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, data, digital transformation and workforce development.
For more than eight years, Peter has worked across digital strategy, transformation and skills education, helping professionals, entrepreneurs and businesses build practical capabilities for a changing economy. He is a member of the Global Shapers Lagos Hub and was selected from more than 400 applicants to represent the Global Shapers Community at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 in Dalian, China.
Learn more about Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterbassey10
About SkillsVerse
SkillsVerse is an African education technology platform helping professionals, entrepreneurs and organisations build practical capabilities in artificial intelligence, data analysis and digital skills.
Its programmes focus on practical application, helping individuals and teams move beyond learning about technology to using it meaningfully in their careers, businesses and organisations.
Learn more: https://skillsversehq.com/
Media and Business Enquiries
For interviews, speaking engagements and media enquiries concerning Peter Bassey, or for corporate training, partnerships and SkillsVerse programmes:
Email: p.bassey@skillsversehq.com
Website: https://skillsversehq.com/
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