Diriger l’entreprise africaine à l’ère de la transformation numérique et de l’intelligence artificielle

Leading African Businesses in the Age of Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

This review examines Diriger l’entreprise africaine à l’ère de la transformation numérique et de l’intelligence artificielle as a practical contribution to debates on the management of digital change in African firms. The book is distinctive in approaching the continent from the perspective of African authors and by resisting both narratives of technological backwardness and promises of effortless digital leapfrogging. Its central recommendations concern skills development, an enabling regulatory environment and technological infrastructure. The review highlights the accessibility of this approach, its relevance to business leaders and its recognition of structural constraints. It also considers four limitations: the diversity concealed by the category of “the African firm”, the predominance of environmental rather than organizational levers, the limited treatment of partial or symbolic technology use, and the need to clarify the data and management foundations on which artificial intelligence depends. Illustrations drawn from the Moroccan business context show why digital readiness must be examined at the level of individual organizations. The review concludes that the book provides a timely and valuable starting point for managers and researchers, particularly when its practical recommendations are complemented by a closer diagnosis of organizational processes and information quality.

Keywords: African firms; digital transformation; artificial intelligence; leadership; managerial capabilities; Morocco.