Bridging the Technological Gap: Mitsumi’s AI Strategy for Africa and the Middle East

At Gitex Africa 2024, Techafrica News had the pleasure of interviewing Rajveer Shah, Director of AI at Mitsumi Distribution, who shared Mitsumi’s innovative strides in leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to transform various sectors across Africa and the Middle East. Shah discussed how Mitsumi is positioning itself as a leading distributor in the region, representing major vendors such as Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Infinix, and showcasing their latest technology advancements.

Mitsumi has also made significant strides in integrating AI into its operations, both internally and externally. Internally, the company has developed its own large language model (LLM) to support data-driven decision-making, greatly enhancing operational efficiency. Externally, Mitsumi is leveraging AI to make a substantial impact across various industries, particularly in healthcare. Shah highlighted an event hosted for East African healthcare providers, where Mitsumi, in partnership with a major vendor, demonstrated how AI can revolutionize healthcare by drastically reducing the time required for tasks such as radiology analysis.

However, Shah acknowledged the challenges associated with AI implementation, particularly in data management and addressing the technological gap in Africa. Mitsumi addresses these challenges by providing data scientists to help clients clean and prepare their data for AI models and leveraging the expertise of vendors to introduce advanced technologies to local markets.

One of the biggest challenges is managing and understanding data. We help our customers by providing data scientists who clean and prepare their data for AI models. Another challenge is the technological gap in Africa. To address this, we leverage the expertise of our vendors like Dell, HP, and Lenovo to bring advanced technologies and skills to our markets. We aim to bridge this gap by offering local markets a deep understanding of how AI can benefit them.

—Rajveer Shah, Director of AI, Mitsumi Distribution.

Shah also underscored the importance of educating clients on the potential of AI, stressing the need for early adoption to remain competitive. By 2030, many tasks could be automated, significantly enhancing capabilities across various industries.

Looking ahead, Shah discussed the future trends in AI, predicting a significant impact across all industries, including banking, finance, and telecommunications. Mitsumi is preparing for these changes by maintaining a dedicated AI team and forming strong partnerships to provide the necessary technological skills and infrastructure. 

“As a distributor, Mitsumi has found ways to implement AI within our operations, and we’re helping other industries do the same. We’re preparing by maintaining a dedicated AI team and forming strong partnerships with vendors to provide the necessary technological skills and infrastructure.”

—Rajveer Shah, Director of AI, Mitsumi Distribution. 

By leveraging AI for operational efficiency and promoting its adoption across various sectors, Mitsumi is driving significant transformation and setting a benchmark for the future of technology in the region.