Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant concept but actively redefining business models, reshaping competitive landscapes, and setting new expectations for efficiency, customer experience, and innovation. Yet, despite AI’s growing influence, many boards remain on the margins of meaningful conversations about its adoption. Across industries, directors frequently encounter a recurring pattern: AI projects that promise the world but deliver little, critical initiatives delayed due to fear, confusion, or poor communication, and Massive budgets are approved without a clear understanding of value, risk, or alignment to strategy. This disconnect is not due to a lack of intelligence or diligence among directors. It is a symptom of an overwhelming, jargon-heavy domain where hype often outpaces understanding. The real strategic advantage today is not technological sophistication, it is governance clarity. Enter the AI Use-Case Maturity Map The AI Use-Case Maturity Map is a structured tool designed to bridge the gap between technical teams and the board. It brings order where there is noise, clarity where there is uncertainty, and rigor where enthusiasm tends to overshadow discipline. This framework enables directors to evaluate AI opportunities through a governance lens, rather than a technical one. It turns complex ideas into clear conversations AI proposals often arrive packaged in technical language—neural networks, reinforcement learning, vector embedding, predictive modelling. While exciting, this language can obscure the true purpose of an initiative. The maturity map forces management to translate the proposal into a straightforward format: What problem does it solve? What value will it create? What capabilities are required? What risks or ethical concerns must be considered? How will we measure success? Boards cannot govern what they do not understand. The map ensures they don’t have to decipher technical jargon to make informed decisions. It reveals hidden assumptions before approval Every AI project is built on layers of assumptions—about data quality, staff competence, infrastructure, regulatory requirements, customer behavior, and expected return. When these assumptions are weak, the entire initiative becomes fragile. The maturity map surfaces weak foundations early, enabling directors to ask questions such as: Do we have sufficient data to train this model? Are we dependent on third-party vendors who may lock us in? What biases might the model inherit? How will we govern and audit the system once deployed? This shifts the board from passive recipients of technical proposals to active participants in safeguarding institutional value. It categorizes projects by value and readiness Not all AI use cases deserve immediate investment. Boards need a way to prioritize. The maturity map classifies proposals as: a) Speculative Early ideas that may be exciting but lack evidence or clarity. Useful for learning, but not for major investment. b) Tactical Focused on operational improvements—reducing manual work, improving speed, or enhancing accuracy. These often generate quick wins and efficiency gains. c) Strategic Game-changing initiatives that reshape business models, create new products, improve risk management, or open new markets. These require the greatest discipline, oversight, and long-term commitment. This classification helps boards allocate resources intelligently, rather than reactively. AI as a Force Multiplier: The Case for Responsible Governance AI amplifies existing realities. If your processes are strong, AI makes them stronger. If your systems are weak, AI magnifies the weaknesses at scale. For boards, this requires a shift from fear-driven AI avoidance to structured, evidence-based oversight. Without such discipline, organizations risk: Automating flawed processes Deploying biased models Misallocating resources Undermining customer trust Missing strategic opportunities that competitors seize quickly Governance, not algorithms, becomes the differentiator. As organizations race into a future shaped by artificial intelligence, the boards that excel will be those that embrace structured thinking, informed questioning, and responsible innovation. In a world overflowing with excitement and noise, the winners will be those who choose purpose over panic, strategy over speed, and value over hype. I remain Mr. Strategy

Every meaningful Ugandan story starts in the same place: with people. When challenges arise, Ugandans do not sprint to institutions or formal systems. Instead, they turn to each other, to neighbours, prayer groups, clan networks, and community circles that have quietly held this country together for generations. Long before mobile apps and banking halls, Uganda’s true financial system lived in villages, churches, WhatsApp groups, and family gatherings. It lived in the way people mobilised for funerals, celebrated births, and supported one another through illness, school fees, and emergencies. It lived in the trust that binds communities together. Growing up in the village, this was the rhythm of life. When a family lost a loved one, community members arrived before dawn. Women organized food, men stood with the grieving family, and young people fetched water and firewood. Contributions began long before any bank even knew what had happened. The system worked because it was built on trust, not paperwork. But this system, as powerful as it is, has always lacked structure, protection, and scale. It survives on goodwill, memory, and unrecorded promises. And while the culture is strong, the tools that support it have remained weak. Twezimbe: Strengthening the systems people already trust Twezimbe is built on a simple but powerful idea: Ugandans do not need new behaviour. They need better tools for the behaviour they already trust. Unlike platforms that force users into unfamiliar systems, Twezimbe respects culture and digitises what communities naturally do. It gives dignity and visibility to contributions that were previously scattered, undocumented, or easily mismanaged. Through Twezimbe: Every contribution becomes a secure, transparent transaction Every member gains clarity and confidence Every group receives a compliant financial structure Emergencies become coordinated and manageable Communities evolve from support groups into long-term savings engines Twezimbe is not asking Ugandans to trust technology, but asking technology to align with Ugandan trust. Why this approach matters Communities are already doing the heavy lifting. They are already contributing, supporting, and surviving together. What they lack is a system that protects them and amplifies their impact. Digitising community support has massive implications: Families become stronger financially Groups become more organised and accountable Fraud and misunderstandings have reduced significantly Contributions gain long-term value Communities build resilience and wealth Uganda, as a whole, becomes more economically stable This is development rooted in culture rather than imposed from outside. Empowerment feels familiar rather than foreign. Twezimbe represents a shift in thinking. Many digital solutions attempt to replace tradition, but Twezimbe embraces and enhances it. In doing so, it becomes more than a platform but a cultural bridge, a way of preserving the strength of Ugandan togetherness while preparing communities for a digital future. Ugandans have survived because of each other. Now we have the opportunity to grow because of each other. If we strengthen the systems people already trust, we uplift entire communities, and if we build tools rooted in culture, we create solutions that last. Twezimbe is a modern solution inspired by our oldest values. Let us walk this journey together. Let us build the future by digitising the trust we already live by. I remain, Mr Strategy.

In one board retreat I facilitated, a chairman proudly unveiled the new “vision statement.” It was poetic: “to be the leading financial institution transforming lives across Africa.” When he finished, silence filled the room. The directors nodded politely. No one felt it. No one could act on it. Why? Because it inspired applause, not action. Boards do not exist to craft elegant sentences, but they exist to set direction that mobilises belief. Vision is not what hangs in the lobby. It is what shapes daily decisions at the lowest level of the organisation. The real test of vision is not in its wording but in its transmission. Let us separate myth from practice. A vision must be specific enough to guide choices Most corporate visions die because they are too vague. “To be the best” or “to transform society” does not tell anyone what to do differently on Monday morning. A board’s role is to define what winning looks like in clear, observable terms. If the vision is growth, specify how, through digital channels, underserved segments, or product innovation. If it is service excellence, define what experience gap the organisation must close. Clarity breeds confidence. Ambiguity breeds inertia. Boards must translate aspiration into direction. Without that, management improvises while the board watches the wrong movie. Anchor the vision in a lived context, not corporate jargon People act on what they feel, not what they are told. Boards often launch visions through glossy videos and speeches, yet employees remain unmoved because the message feels imported, not lived. The most effective boards use stories from their own journey. “Here is why this vision matters to us.” They reference the organisation’s struggles, values, and turning points. When a vision connects to real experience, it becomes collective memory, not marketing. One manufacturing board I advised in Uganda spent half a day visiting workers before announcing a new productivity vision. The board listened, not spoke. The next week, employees embraced the vision as their own because it reflected their frustrations and hopes. Communicate through example, not email Nothing kills a vision faster than hypocrisy. Boards that preach innovation but punish mistakes, or promote ethics while tolerating political appointments, destroy credibility. Every board member is a communication channel. How they make decisions, question management, and allocate resources reveals whether the vision is real or decorative. When directors live the values they proclaim, culture shifts naturally. Boards communicate vision through what they fund, measure, and reward. If sustainability is part of the vision, sustainability metrics must appear in performance reviews. If customer centricity is a goal, customer pain points should top the board agenda; not appear as footnotes. Translate the vision into narrative and numbers In my experience, people follow two languages: stories and scorecards. The story provides meaning; the scorecard provides momentum. Boards must ensure the vision has both. Tell the story of why the organisation exists; its purpose and promise; and show how success will be measured through two or three long-term strategic indicators. An effective vision statement can be summarised as: “We exist to achieve X for Y through Z.” That formula, Outcome, Audience, Approach, forces precision. It also enables cascading communication across all levels. Build rituals that reinforce the vision Vision fades unless it is refreshed. Boards that embed it into recurring rituals; strategy reviews, award ceremonies, onboarding, even safety briefings; make it part of organisational rhythm. The board must ask at every meeting: “How does this agenda item move us closer to our vision?” Over time, this question becomes a discipline. Reflection meetings, storytelling forums, and leadership scorecards all serve as touchpoints that remind everyone why they are here. Make the vision believable through consistent wins People believe what they see working. Boards must align management goals to deliver small, visible victories that demonstrate progress toward the vision. A hospital that declares a vision of “patient-centred care” should first eliminate waiting-line frustration. Once that changes, staff start believing a larger change is possible. Boards communicate credibility through early proof, not promises. Use the power of two voices In governance, the board articulates why; management translates it into how. The two must harmonise. A divided voice confuses the organisation. The chairman and CEO must co-own the vision narrative; one sets the aspiration, the other drives the execution. During one turnaround, I observed a chairman who spoke the language of transformation while the CEO spoke the language of compliance. Staff followed the latter. Alignment at the top determines energy at the bottom. End with a leadership truth: vision is not communication; it is contagion When a vision truly resonates, it spreads without being repeated. It shows up in hallway conversations, customer interactions, and even budget debates. Boards that communicate vision effectively understand this: people do not follow words; they follow conviction. A board’s duty is not to impress stakeholders with eloquence but to infect the organisation with purpose so clear it becomes unstoppable. The question for every director is simple: Does our vision make people move, or merely nod? If it only inspires applause, it is not a vision but wallpaper. If it inspires action, it is leadership.G Copyright Summit Consulting Ltd 2025. All rights reserved