The Pitch Hub, a Ghana-based entrepreneurship support organisation focused on equipping African founders with practical business and innovation skills, has successfully completed the pilot phase of SmartScale, a hands-on artificial intelligence (AI) training programme designed to help entrepreneurs, small business owners, and creatives apply AI directly to their businesses.
Delivered across Ghana and Nigeria, the SmartScale pilot combined virtual training with in-person implementation labs, enabling participants to move beyond theory and develop AI-powered solutions tailored to their own ventures.
All components of the SmartScale pilot, from the virtual sessions to the in-person implementation labs in Accra and Lagos, were facilitated by a team of experienced ecosystem practitioners including Daniel Twum of Techbridge University College, Josiah Adesola, AI Ecosystem Lead at NitHub, University of Lagos, and Aurelia Abena Attipoe, Founder of The Pitch Hub and SmartScale Project Lead.
Through partnerships with ecosystem enablers including SG Innovate in Ghana and NitHub, University of Lagos in Nigeria, SmartScale fostered a collaborative learning environment that brought together entrepreneurs, ecosystem partners, and AI practitioners.
Participants were introduced to advanced AI tools, including Claude Code, Gemini, and AI Studio, and learned a structured, step-by-step approach for building AI applications from clearly defined business and software requirements. Using a comprehensive compliance workflow, participants generated, tested, and refined AI-powered tools for customer support, content creation, and internal business operations relevant to their own businesses.
The programme also addressed digital marketing and visual content needs, with participants learning how to create high-quality product photos and videos using Meta AI, Leonardo, and Playground, reducing reliance on costly production processes.
Originally designed to train 30 entrepreneurs, the SmartScale pilot exceeded expectations by training over 40 participants across Ghana and Nigeria, reflecting strong demand and oversubscription.
The programme addressed a critical gap in practical AI adoption among African entrepreneurs, enabling over 40 founders across Ghana and Nigeria to implement AI-powered tools directly within their businesses and establishing a repeatable and scalable model for AI capacity building across the continent.
Building on the success of the Ghana and Nigeria pilots, The Pitch Hub plans to expand SmartScale to additional markets, deepening its impact and supporting a broader network of founders, SMEs, and creatives.
“Many entrepreneurs hear about AI but don’t know where to start or how to apply it to their businesses. SmartScale was created to bridge that gap by focusing on real use cases, not hype,” said Aurelia Abena Attipoe, Founder of The Pitch Hub and SmartScale Project Lead.
SmartScale forms part of The Pitch Hub’s broader mission to equip African entrepreneurs with practical skills, mentorship, and access to tools that help turn ideas into sustainable and scalable businesses.
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