How Orange Telecoms Liberia Is Turning AI Into a Competitive Weapon (And What It Means for Your 2026 Strategy)

November 2025…

I set foot in Monrovia, Liberia for what turned out to be one of the most forward-thinking engagements I have experienced all year. If you've ever wondered what it looks like when a company isn't just talking about "the future” but building it, pay attention.

By the way, this was my first time in Liberia. (Nice, clean city: we drove 1 hour 45 minutes from the airport to the hotel. A story for another day.)

Orange Telecoms Liberia brought together their leadership team from the C-suite to managers, team leads and supervisors.

And for 3 full days, we didn't just "talk AI." we demoed various use cases of AI in the Telco space, productivity, and most importantly, we review how to turn AI capabilities into measurable competitive advantages.

Now, let me get more specific about what sets this apart.

One of the breakthrough moments?

Demonstrating how AI can bridge language barriers in customer service operations. (If you're in customer service, you know what that means: inclusion, accessibility, loyalty, AND growth, all in one move.)

Here's what most companies still don't get…

• Day 1: Executive management set the vision. (If you don't have buy-in at the top, nothing sticks.) We redefined what leadership means in the age of AI.

• Day 2: Team leaders mapped out operational wins—moving AI from buzzword to practical results.
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• Day 3: Managers and supervisors nailed down real execution. (This is where most transformation efforts die—or scale explosively.)

This was the third organization I've led through a full-scale AI transformation during the past 18 months. (One was a board engagement with a financial services firm.)

Every time, I see the same thing over and over again: those willing to get EVERY layer of leadership involved are positioning their organizations for the next level.

You're probably wondering, why aren't more companies moving this fast? Short answer: most are still "planning" while their competitors are doing. And the cost of delay? Hard to overstate.

Special thanks to Strategy House and Dr Maxwell Ubah, FCIMC for inviting me to be part of this program. Thanks for planning everything and making my stay in Liberia fun. (The pictures tell a story.)

If you lead a team, here's your wake-up call:
The organizations that will win in 2026 aren't playing the "waiting to see what happens with AI" game. They're making it happen right now.

If your team is still on the fence, ask yourself: what could you accomplish if everyone from the boardroom to the front line spoke the same language about innovation? (Literally and figuratively.)

This AI thing isn't about hype. It's about action.
The future belongs to those who build it.

Act now.

Merry Christmas 🎄🎁 to you and your family.