A UK-based Nigerian fraud analyst, Adepeju Deborah Bello, has launched a groundbreaking research initiative aimed at protecting Nigeria’s microenterprises from financial fraud using artificial intelligence.
In a statement issued on Monday, Bello, a financial crime risk expert at Barclays UK, announced the commencement of her doctoral research at De Montfort University, Leicester, focusing on how AI can be leveraged to detect and prevent fraud within Nigeria’s microbusiness ecosystem.
Titled ‘Adopting AI for Fraud Detection and Prevention in Micro Businesses within the Financial Service Value Chain in Nigeria’, the PhD study is one of the few academic efforts globally targeting informal enterprises in developing economies.
The research will explore how technologies such as machine learning, behavioural analytics, and anomaly detection can be customised for use by grassroots entrepreneurs who are increasingly vulnerable to online scams, identity theft, and digital manipulation.
“My mission is to bridge the gap between innovation and grassroots impact,” said Bello. “Fraud affects trust, and trust is the currency of every financial system. If we can protect micro businesses using intelligent systems, we are not just preventing crime; we are protecting livelihoods, families, and futures.”
Microenterprises, ranging from roadside vendors to small-scale retailers, account for over 90 per cent of Nigerian businesses, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.
Despite their significance to the economy, these businesses often lack access to sophisticated fraud prevention tools commonly available to larger corporations.
Bello, who is a certified member of leading professional organisations, including the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and Information Systems Audit and Control Association, stated that the rising adoption of mobile banking and digital payments has exposed Nigeria’s microbusinesses to increased risks of financial crime.
“While large organisations are adopting advanced fraud detection systems, micro-enterprises are being left behind due to high costs, technical illiteracy, and infrastructural barriers,” she noted.
Drawing from her professional experience, Bello said she regularly deploys cutting-edge tools such as Falcon, Celonis, and Cybercrime Portals at Barclays UK to combat real-time financial crime.
In her PhD research, she explained, she aims to adapt similar technologies for entrepreneurs in Nigeria’s informal economy, many of whom operate daily without any form of fraud protection.
A published academic, Bello has previously written on themes including AI in digital banking, blockchain for compliance, and cybersecurity in supply chains.
Her latest research builds on this foundation with a vision to democratise access to fraud prevention for Nigeria’s most economically active yet vulnerable business owners.
“Micro businesses deserve intelligent protection too. When they are secure, economies thrive,” she said.
Through this work, Bello hopes to influence both policy and practice, providing data-driven insights that can inform financial inclusion strategies and digital safety frameworks across sub-Saharan Africa.
