African enterprises get AI factory framework to scale innovation

Tenece Professional Services and Dell Technologies have launched a joint initiative to accelerate artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and digital transformation for Africa’s largest enterprises, convening top executives from the continent’s key industries.

The collaboration was highlighted at an exclusive executive forum at the Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, where leaders from financial services, oil and gas, telecoms, fintech, payments, pensions, and insurance gathered to explore the theme “AI and digital trust: shaping the future of transformation.” The event was organized as a knowledge-sharing and networking platform to connect leaders across sectors and foster partnerships for innovation and sustainability in Nigeria and beyond.

A framework for operationalizing AI at scale

At the core of the partnership is the Dell AI Factory, an end-to-end framework designed to operationalize AI at enterprise scale. TechCabal reported in a partner article that the framework enables organizations to leverage their own data to train and personalize models while optimizing infrastructure, performance, and the broader AI ecosystem.

“Dell AI Factory provides a complete framework to turn AI initiatives into scalable, real-world outcomes,” the partner article stated. “By combining Dell’s capabilities with Tenece Professional Services’s local expertise and hands-on execution, organizations across Africa are deploying and scaling AI solutions that deliver consistent business impact.”

The same message was extended to Francophone Africa through a parallel French-language partner article, which emphasized how Tenece’s deep knowledge of African business realities allows AI initiatives to be deployed fluidly and adapted for measurable impact. Tenece Professional Services describes itself as an indigenous ICT consulting firm operating in over nine countries, including Ghana, Uganda, South Africa, and Ethiopia.

Building a secure, trusted digital future

The Lagos event placed digital trust at the center of the conversation. In a post on LinkedIn, Tenece noted, “The focus of the event was on AI and Digital Trust, where Tech Experts discussed the evolving role of technology in building a secure, trusted digital future.”

This emphasis on cybersecurity and trust builds on a years-long collaboration between the two companies. In October 2022, they hosted a forum for CISOs and CIOs titled “MULTI-CLOUD FORMATION FOR ENTERPRISE,” covering multi-cloud strategy, cyber resiliency, and managed detection and response. An earlier C-suite dinner session themed “Prepare for the Future Today With Dell” similarly targeted business transformation through the right skills and partnerships.

“We deliver cutting-edge solutions that transform businesses and shape the future,” said Kingsley Eze, CEO of Tenece Group.

Taking AI beyond the boardroom

Beyond the executive forum, the partnership is driving practical applications. A marketing document from Tenece details how the collaboration uses AI to optimize storage utilization, helping customers retrieve data quickly and reliably while minimizing the risk of data loss.

“In collaboration with Dell, Tenece is exploring innovative use cases to enhance storage utilization,” the document states. “These initiatives are designed to help customers retrieve data quickly and reliably, while minimizing the risk of data loss.”

This focus on infrastructure efficiency addresses a core constraint for African enterprises: rapidly growing data volumes, high storage costs, and the need to deploy AI close to where data is produced, particularly in sectors like agriculture, healthcare, and financial services. A Tenece thought-leadership article explored Africa’s AI potential, framing it around a $1.2 trillion opportunity by 2030 and highlighting a Dell AI Factory project in South Africa where an AI-enabled drone detected potato leaf disease with over 99% accuracy.

The local integrator, global OEM model

The Tenece–Dell partnership exemplifies a model where a global original equipment manufacturer supplies the technology stack and frameworks, while a local systems integrator brings sector context, implementation expertise, and multi-market presence. Tenece has been recognized as the only Dell Titanium partner in its region, a status it celebrated in a 2022 social media post: “Congratulations are in order for Tenece Professional Services as we emerge the only Dell Titanium partner in this region.”

The TechCabal partner campaign, combining editorial-style articles with event coverage, positions this collaboration as essential infrastructure for African enterprises navigating AI adoption. A French-language TechCabal report on the Lagos executive event captured the gathering this way: “Les plus hauts dirigeants des principales industries nigérianes… se sont réunis… pour un événement exclusif organisé par Tenece en collaboration avec Dell Technologies.”

The next steps for the partnership remain focused on deploying and scaling the AI Factory framework across Tenece’s operating footprint, though no specific timelines or future event dates were announced in the available material.