The Executive Director of IT and Digitalisation at Access Holdings Plc, Lanre Bamisebi, has issued a call to action for technology leaders to prioritise ‘less, but better’ in an era increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence.
Speaking recently at the inaugural Guest Lecture Series organised by the Quest Merchant Bank Technology Academy, Bamisebi argued that the ability to simplify complex processes will be the ultimate competitive advantage.
Addressing a gathering of technology professionals, he questioned the industry’s fixation on relentless expansion and feature-heavy development, arguing that real progress in the digital age is driven by disciplined system design rather than sheer volume of output.
“The institutions that will win the next decade are not the ones that build the most,” Bamisebi said. “They are the ones that simplify the best. Progress in technology is often not about adding more; it is about having the discipline to remove what no longer works.”
Drawing on historical turnarounds at global giants like Apple and Amazon, Bamisebi noted that major transformations rarely begin with ‘moonshot’ ideas. Instead, they start with a rigorous assessment of what is broken.
He emphasised that at Access Holdings, the focus remains on stability as the bedrock of any digital journey, noting that system failures are typically the result of human process errors rather than flawed code.
“Technology failures are rarely caused by technology,” Bamisebi added. “They are usually caused by what we do to the technology. Stability is not glamorous, but without it, nothing sustainable can be built.”
Addressing the rise of generative AI, Bamisebi downplayed concerns about widespread job losses, describing the technology instead as a ‘mirror’ that highlights operational inefficiencies. He maintained that AI will not replace critical thinkers but will rather expose whether a professional’s value stems from independent judgement or simple adherence to routine instructions.
“The age of AI is not a threat to thinkers. It is a mirror. It will reveal whether your value comes from judgement or from following instructions,” he said.
Bamisebi concluded by positioning Nigeria and the broader African continent at a critical junction in financial infrastructure development. He predicted that the next generation of industry leaders would be defined by their discipline and their ability to say ‘no’ to unnecessary complexity.
“The institutions that will define African financial services in the next decade will not be the loudest or the most expensive. They will be the most disciplined. Less, but better. Always,” he added.
