The latest update introduces a reimagined user experience designed to make collaboration easier, improve security, and deliver deeper intelligence across all 50+ applications.

With this release, Zoho One offers a more connected and context-aware environment for organisations of all sizes.

“The Zoho One update reflects how work has evolved from using individual applications to operating within a unified platform,” said Kehinde Ogundare, country head, Zoho Nigeria. “Zoho One customers are not simply licensing apps; they are choosing a solution that allows Zoho to handle the technology while they focus on productivity. The enhancements announced today deliver a cohesive experience built on unified integrations, context, and data.”

Since its launch in 2017, Zoho One has grown to support more than 75,000 organisations worldwide, with customers using an average of 22 applications within the suite.

The platform’s extensive integrations, privacy-focused architecture, and consolidated technology stack ensure reliability and consistency for businesses looking to streamline operations.

A Reimagined User Experience

Zoho One’s new interface places context at the centre of the user journey and removes traditional boundaries between applications.

Spaces now organise tools by purpose, such as Personal, Organisation, and Department-specific groups, enabling employees to access what they need without switching between apps.

A centralised search bar spans the entire ecosystem, allowing users to find information or trigger workflows instantly.

An enhanced Action Panel provides a full view of upcoming meetings, unread messages, pending tasks, and other key updates, helping employees remain informed regardless of which app they are using.

The updated Dashboard consolidates data from Zoho and third-party apps into one central hub that can be customised using pre-existing or bespoke widgets.

The platform also introduces Vani, a new visual-first collaboration space that supports brainstorming, planning, and creation through diagrams, whiteboards, mind maps, and integrated video calling.

Native Integrations for Better Security and Efficiency

Zoho One continues to strengthen its position as a unified business operating system by offering native integrations across Zoho’s suite and with third-party applications.

This reduces external entry points and supports faster anomaly detection.

With Zoho Directory included, administrators also gain a secure platform for managing workforce identity and access within the same unified system.

A central integrations panel enables administrators to monitor and configure all connections. Foundational integrations bring application-specific portals, Zoho or third-party, into a single unified portal. Practical tasks such as domain verification and authentication can now be configured more easily.

The new Smart Offboarding feature introduces outcome-based integrations, allowing organisations to transfer department ownership, manage employee device data, and determine data access rights within a single workflow, ensuring smooth transitions.

Contextual Intelligence Powered by Zia

Zia, Zoho’s AI assistant, is now accessible throughout Zoho One, providing unified intelligence that supports decision-making and improves productivity.

Zia can aggregate and contextualise information from various platforms, including third-party systems such as Google Workspace, and present it as clear, actionable insight.

Zia Hubs, the platform’s intelligent content management system, now has a dedicated space where contracts, meeting recordings, and other important assets are automatically organised. Through Zia Search, employees can quickly surface relevant information without navigating multiple locations.

Ask Zia, available from the bottom toolbar, enables prompt-based searches across Zoho One, providing quick visibility into schedules, tasks, recent interactions, and other key details.

Through the Young Creators Program, Zoho trained over 50 students across disciplines, including Computer Science, Business, and Information Technology, to build business-ready applications using Zoho Creator, the company’s low-code development platform.

The three day workshop introduced students to practical problem-solving using the latest advancements in cloud technology, enabling them to design and develop custom business solutions without advanced programming knowledge.

The program also fostered a deeper understanding of how low-code tools can support entrepreneurship and digital transformation.

“As part of our commitment to supporting local talent development in Nigeria, we are excited to collaborate with Babcock University to equip students with future-ready digital skills,” said Kehinde Ogundare, country head, Zoho Nigeria. “Through the Young Creators Program, we aim to empower young innovators to build solutions that solve real business challenges while strengthening the local technology ecosystem.”

This initiative also marks the beginning of a broader strategic collaboration between Zoho and BCED.

Both organisations will continue to work together to deliver additional training programs, interactive workshops and innovation-focused events.

Discussions are also underway to add Zoho’s apps to BCED’s entrepreneurship curriculum, ensuring that students learn how they can apply digital solutions for various business problems.

“We are committed to preparing our students for leadership in a rapidly evolving digital economy,” said Dr. Ayodeji Ajibade is the director of the Babcock Entrepreneurship Development Centre (BEDC) at Babcock University in Nigeria. “Partnering with Zoho strengthens our mission by providing students with access to industry-standard tools and practical learning experiences that bridge the gap between classroom knowledge and real-world application.”

The Young Creators Program forms part of Zoho’s global effort to promote digital literacy and support innovation among young people.

Launched in 2022, the program has trained more than 2000+ students around the world, providing them with the tools and confidence to pursue careers and entrepreneurial ventures in the technology space.

According to DataReportal, the country had 103 million internet users as of January 2024, and online retail sales continue to grow as more people gain access to affordable smartphones and digital payment systems.

However, while opportunity is expanding, so is competition. Thousands of small businesses now sell across Instagram, WhatsApp, and local marketplaces. For many, the challenge is no longer getting online, it’s standing out and building sustainable growth.

Below are six strategies that can help ecommerce entrepreneurs in Nigeria compete more effectively, connect with customers, and scale sustainably.

1. Focus on a niche, not the crowd

The internet offers endless reach, but success often lies in narrowing your focus. Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, identify a specific audience whose needs you understand deeply, whether that’s fitness enthusiasts, new parents, or tech-savvy students.

Niche targeting allows you to tailor your message, pricing, and product experience. It also helps small businesses build loyalty and word-of-mouth credibility in markets where advertising budgets are limited.

2. Build relationships beyond social media

Social platforms are powerful but unpredictable. Algorithms change, engagement fluctuates, and visibility can vanish overnight. That’s why it’s essential to diversify how you stay connected with customers.

Email newsletters, community groups, or loyalty programs provide more direct and reliable touchpoints. Use these channels to share updates, answer questions, and offer genuine value—not just promotions. Consistent, thoughtful communication builds trust that outlasts social trends.

3. Use data to understand customer behaviour

Every click, search, and abandoned cart tells a story. Tracking customer behaviour—through analytics dashboards, feedback forms, or even simple observation—can reveal why shoppers drop off and what keeps them coming back.

For example, you might discover that most users exit your site during checkout due to limited payment options. Adding mobile money or bank transfer features could increase conversions immediately. Data-driven decisions help eliminate guesswork and improve user experience.

4. Create content that answers real questions

Many Nigerian shoppers research extensively before buying online, especially from lesser-known brands. Publishing clear, helpful content, such as FAQs, size guides, or product comparisons, can bridge the trust gap.

A small skincare brand, for example, could post educational pieces on ingredients and routines, while a gadget store could share short explainers on choosing the right devices. When people find answers through your content, they are more likely to view your business as credible and dependable.

5. Explore automation and AI for efficiency

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping how small businesses operate globally, and Nigeria is no exception. From customer support chatbots to inventory management and personalized recommendations, automation can simplify repetitive work and improve decision-making.

Even basic AI tools can help analyse trends, spot buying patterns, and free up time for strategic tasks. The goal isn’t to replace human connection but to enhance it by focusing your energy where it matters most, understanding and serving your customers.

6. Build credibility through customer voices

Nigerians value peer opinions. Reviews, testimonials, and user-generated content often carry more weight than brand messaging. Encourage satisfied customers to share feedback or showcase how they use your products.

Displaying honest reviews on your website or social pages signals transparency and confidence. People are far more likely to trust a brand that others vouch for, especially in a marketplace crowded with new entrants.

Building for the long term

Sustainable ecommerce growth in Nigeria isn’t about chasing every new platform or pouring money into ads, it’s about clarity, consistency, and connection.

By focusing on real customer needs, learning from data, and building trust at every step, businesses can create lasting impact in one of Africa’s most dynamic digital markets.

Instead of eroding safety, 84% of these businesses report stronger privacy initiatives since integrating AI into their operations.

The findings, titled The AI Privacy Equation: The Nigerian Model of Responsible AI Adoption and unveiled at Zoholics Nigeria, revealed Nigeria as a global reference point for AI adoption balanced with privacy. 

Beyond AI adoption and privacy focus, the event also celebrated another milestone for Zoho, which announced a 75% customer growth in Nigeria in 2024, one of its fastest-growing markets worldwide.

“We continue to invest in Nigeria as businesses here accelerate their adoption of technology to grow and scale,” said Kehinde Ogundare, country head, Zoho Nigeria. 

“The latest study around AI and Privacy proves that Nigerian businesses are leading the way in responsible AI adoption, as they temper the new technology with privacy measures. This mirrors Zoho’s philosophy of building contextual and privacy-first AI models that can help businesses realise tangible benefits. We infuse our AI solutions—from conversational and prescriptive to agentic and generative—with business context so that it can provide organisations with decision intelligence.”

Balancing AI With Privacy

The study, which surveyed 386 Nigerian business leaders, shows how companies are embedding AI responsibly. Ninety-four percent now have a dedicated privacy officer or team, a figure well above global averages. 

Nearly 40% allocate over 30% of their IT budgets to privacy protection, opining that governance is not a constraint but a competitive advantage.

Michael Fauscette, CEO and chief analyst of Arion Research, underscored this shift:

“The Nigerian model challenges the conventional wisdom that AI adoption requires privacy trade-offs. When 84% of organisations strengthen their privacy measures through AI implementation rather than weakening them, it demonstrates that privacy-conscious design can actually enhance AI outcomes. Nigerian businesses are proving that robust governance isn’t a constraint on innovation, it’s a competitive advantage.”

Leadership and Deployment

More than half of survey respondents were CEOs or senior executives, showing that AI adoption is being driven from the top. Unlike other markets where implementation lags, Nigeria is moving quickly from pilots to enterprise-wide rollouts. 

Thirty-one percent of businesses reported advanced integration across the organisation, while another 26.5% are deploying AI across multiple departments.

The financial services sector, which accounted for 29% of respondents, is leading the charge. Customer service automation (49%), software development (46%), and marketing optimisation (32%) are the top use cases, all designed with privacy-by-design principles.

Skills, Barriers and Regulation

On challenges, despite rapid adoption, thirty-seven percent of companies revealed a lack of technical expertise as their biggest challenge, followed closely by privacy and security issues (35%). 

To close this gap, 69% of businesses are prioritising data analysis and interpretation, 53% are focusing on AI literacy, and 40% are investing in prompt engineering for generative AI.

Regulation is also impacting behaviour. Nearly 65% of organisations say awareness has increased since Nigeria’s Data Protection Act was introduced. Many conduct regular privacy audits (57%), minimise data used in AI training (57%), and require explainability of AI decisions (52%).

Why it Matters to Zoho

For Zoho, these findings on AI adoption and privacy, align directly with its positioning. The company has consistently rejected data monetisation in favour of privacy-first design, a stance that resonates with Nigerian businesses now investing heavily in privacy-conscious AI.

Zoho’s growth in Nigeria is being driven by demand for scalable, unified solutions. Its top-performing products in the country include Zoho Workplace (enterprise email and collaboration), Zoho Books (accounting software), Zoho Campaigns (marketing automation), and Zoho One (a suite of 55+ integrated business applications). 

Key customer sectors include IT services, financial services, energy, manufacturing, real estate, media, education, and retail.

In tying AI adoption to privacy protection, Nigerian businesses are gaining global competitive advantage, and for Zoho, this validates its belief in Nigeria, both as a high-growth market and as a model for how technology and trust can advance together.

The company revealed this during its annual user conference, Zoholics Nigeria, held on Monday, September 8, 2025, in Lagos.

Kehinde Seun Ogundare, country head for Zoho Nigeria, said the company is not in the market for short-term profits. “We are not just here to make money and leave, you know, I said from the beginning,” Ogundare said.

He stressed Zoho’s guiding philosophy, “Privately Held. Publicly Responsible”, which reiterates its focus on long-term value rather than quick exits.

Key Announcements for Nigeria

Zoho outlined three major commitments to Nigerian businesses:

• Local billing and naira pricing to ease exchange-rate challenges.
• Hiring and expanding local teams to improve customer support.
• Maintaining access to 55+ products across finance, workplace, CRM, HR and collaboration tools.

The company shared growth statistics to back its local drive:

• 29 years in operation, with over 18,000 employees globally.
• Products used in more than 150 countries.
• Average customer tenure of about 45 months.
• 75 million registrations in Nigeria over the last five years.
• Local growth rates of 64.07% in 2021, 83.68% in 2022, and 74.28% in 2024.

According to Zoho, the top sectors using its software in Nigeria include services, financial services, professional services, real estate and construction, retail, energy, media, and education.

Building on One Technology Stack

Zoho emphasised that all its 55+ applications run on a single technology stack. This, it said, reduces integration costs and makes its software affordable to SMEs. 

Its “composable” product model lets customers start with individual apps, then scale into customised suites or vertical solutions. For SMEs in Nigeria, this means they can adopt an off-the-shelf bookkeeping or HR product, or commission a tailored workflow without rebuilding everything from scratch.

Spotlight on Zia AI

One of the most interesting parts of the event was Zoho’s in-house AI platform, Zia, Zoho’s AI assistant built for automation and business intelligence across its apps.

The Zia suite includes language, speech and automation tools, as well as features that allow customers to create automated assistants and custom apps. Technical features include:

• Language models available in multiple parameter sizes (1.3B, 2.6B and 7B), with plans to scale further.
• Zia ASR, a home-grown speech recogniser benchmarked by the company against global competitors on word-error-rate.
• Agent Studio and Zia Agents marketplace offering pre-built assistants for sales, marketing, UX, support and other workflows.
• Co-Creator and low-code/no-code tools to let non-developers build applications and automation.

Zoho described Zia as a practical tool which enables businesses to automate workflows, delegate routine tasks to AI assistants, and focus more on decision-making and growth.

Privacy and Infrastructure

Beyond features, Zoho stressed that it owns its full technology stack, from networks and storage to compute and applications. This, it said, helps it control costs, safeguard privacy and deliver products built for enterprise needs.

Local billing, local hiring and local support were framed as part of the same strategy, reducing total cost of ownership while making the tools more relevant to Nigeria’s business environment.

What it Means for Nigerian SMEs

For local companies, Zoho’s strategy could bring three immediate benefits:

1. Affordability: naira billing removes the pressure of paying in foreign currency.
2. Faster support: more Nigerian teams mean better response times and understanding of local challenges.
3. Customisation: the “composable” product marketplace and low-code tools make it easier to build tailored solutions without major development projects.

Zoholics Nigeria revealed that Zoho wants to be more than a global software vendor. The company is working to adapt to local realities, cut expenses for businesses, and build long-term trust.

These innovations are designed to make CRM more accessible across organisations, not just for sales teams.

“Many people across departments need access to customer information, yet CRMs have traditionally been limited to sales,” said Kehinde Ogundare, country head, Zoho Nigeria. “With CRM for Everyone, we’re democratising access and simplifying system use through Zia’s capabilities. Anyone can now create reports, workflows, or even redesign their CRM interface using simple prompts.”

CRM for Everyone is now generally available globally, with enhanced Zia capabilities and new features like Connected Records and Connected Workflows.

Zia Capabilities Deepen CRM Power

The platform now features several agentic AI capabilities through Zia. Users can issue natural language prompts to generate reports instantly, with the ability to review, pause, and edit in real time.

Zia also enables custom module creation using plain language, allowing non-technical users to set up field types, permissions, and module structures effortlessly.

Creating workflows is similarly simplified – Zia acts on behalf of the user to automate tasks. Additionally, a unique “Image to Canvas” tool lets users convert images into functional design elements within the CRM interface, enhancing visual customisation.

Improving Customer Experience with CRM for Everyone

CRM for Everyone introduces Connected Records and Connected Workflows, and is now available globally.

Connected Records automatically link tasks and data across departments, ensuring continuity throughout the customer journey.

Connected Workflows orchestrate tasks across multiple teams, enabling sales, marketing, onboarding, account management, finance, and legal departments to stay aligned with seamless access to contextual information. This ensures customers receive consistent experiences at every interaction point.

Availability and Pricing

AI capabilities are included in licence costs, unless stated otherwise. Team user licences (non-sales CRM users) start at NGN 4300/per user/month on all paid editions of Zoho CRM.

Zoho’s AI Commitment

Zoho designs its AI with customer privacy and value in mind. Zia’s models—contextual, assistive, and agentic—are not trained on consumer data and retain no customer information.

Zoho delivers useful, cost-efficient AI tools without inflating customer expenses.

However, realising this potential requires navigating a challenging landscape—one marked by limited IT resources, complex operational hurdles, and the inertia of traditional business practices.

For Nigerian businesses, the path to sustainable growth lies in digital transformation, with cloud-based technologies serving as a key enabler.

With a burgeoning middle class and a tech-savvy population, Nigeria offers fertile ground for innovation and expansion.

Yet, many businesses remain tethered to manual processes, limiting their ability to scale and compete effectively. This is where cloud technology and comprehensive digital toolsets become indispensable.

The need for digital transformation

Traditional growth models lack the agility needed to keep pace with an evolving market. Manual processes lead to inefficiencies, limited data insights hinder informed decision-making, and restricted IT resources stifle innovation.

To overcome these hurdles, businesses must adopt digital tools that streamline operations, automate workflows, and provide actionable insights.

Digital transformation isn’t about adopting technology for its own sake—it’s about scaling efficiently. In today’s digital economy, scaling is critical for businesses seeking to expand their market reach, remain competitive, and meet evolving customer demands.

Digital tools enable businesses to amplify their impact, drive revenue growth, and optimise costs, ensuring long-term sustainability.

The power of cloud-based solutions

Cloud-based platforms eliminate the need for costly infrastructure investments, offering businesses access to cutting-edge technology on a flexible, scalable basis.

By automating repetitive tasks, streamlining workflows, and enhancing productivity, these platforms free up valuable resources, allowing businesses to focus on strategy and customer engagement.

An integrated SaaS platform offers a unified ecosystem to manage all facets of a business. By providing a centralised suite of applications, it automates workflows, reduces manual data entry, and improves team collaboration.

Businesses can reduce operational costs and accelerate decision-making, ultimately enabling faster expansion into new markets.

With Zoho software, the emphasis is on contextual intelligence, leveraging AI to provide genuine customer value. In a market where customer experience is paramount, Zoho’s AI-powered insights enable businesses to personalise interactions, anticipate needs, and strengthen customer relationships.

Zoho’s unwavering commitment to customer privacy also ensures that businesses can leverage data responsibly, fostering trust and long-term loyalty.

A holistic approach to business growth

Zoho’s philosophy of optimising the entire technology stack—from hardware to software—ensures seamless integration and optimal performance. This holistic approach translates into better technology for Nigerian businesses, enabling them to focus on their core competencies without being weighed down by technical complexities.

For Nigerian businesses, digital transformation is no longer optional—it’s a necessity. By embracing cloud-based technology, they can overcome traditional growth barriers, scale efficiently, and unlock their full potential.

The future of Nigerian business is digital. By adopting the cloud, businesses can transform challenges into opportunities, paving the way for sustainable growth in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.

Through native integration of four key Zoho applications—Projects, WorkDrive, Analytics, and Sprints—Projects Plus enables asynchronous collaboration, seamless file management, real-time business intelligence, and Agile or Waterfall workflows.

Zoho Projects has seen rapid growth, doubling its revenue in 2024, with 55% of new users migrating from Microsoft Projects and JIRA. Projects Plus builds on this success by focussing on better data democratisation, AI-powered insights, hybrid project management, and collaborative work management. As 18% of enterprise customers deployed both Zoho Projects and Zoho Analytics, Projects Plus directly addresses these needs by consolidating the two, and more, into a singular, efficient solution.

“The surge in digitalisation across the nation and the hybrid work culture have necessitated project management tools to be well ingrained in the overall software architecture of an organisation. With Projects Plus, which can be easily customised and integrated with other apps, we have brought together key tools like analytics, file management and collaboration, and the option to use blended project management methodologies, creating a value-packed offering not yet available in the market. Furthermore, Projects Plus synthesises the latest AI-driven tools, data-first analytics, and privacy-focused protections into software that anticipates the evolving needs of international enterprise organisations, expanding Zoho’s global reach,” said Kehinde Ogundare, country head, Zoho Nigeria.

Business Intelligence Leading to Project Democratisation 

The shift toward Data-Driven Project Management (DDPM) is transforming how  organisations make decisions. Instead of relying on intuition, businesses can now leverage real-time data and analytics to drive efficiency. Projects Plus captures insights across multiple dimensions—including time tracking, budgeting, task completion, and deliverability metrics—helping teams make smarter, data-backed decisions.

Predictive analysis plays a crucial role in this approach, using historical data to forecast risks, estimate project timelines, and anticipate resource needs.

By analysing past trends, businesses can proactively plan and mitigate risks before they impact project success.

Progress tracking has also evolved beyond traditional static tools like Gantt charts. With real-time dashboards, project managers now have dynamic, up-to-date insights that provide a comprehensive view of project status, allowing them to identify and address bottlenecks as they arise.

Additionally, quality control analytics ensure that every stage of a project meets predefined standards. By continuously monitoring data related to project deliverables, businesses can uphold high-quality outcomes, reducing errors and inefficiencies throughout the project lifecycle. With these enhanced analytical capabilities, Projects Plus enables organisations to shift from reactive project management to a more strategic, data-driven approach that improves execution and results.

Projects Plus integrates Zia, Zoho’s AI engine, to automate complex data analysis and provide predictive insights, helping project managers focus on strategic leadership.

By analysing project performance data, businesses can identify inefficiencies and optimise processes, streamlining workflows to improve productivity.

AI-powered insights also enable smarter resource allocation by identifying where resources are being underutilised or overburdened. This ensures that the right people are assigned to the right tasks, maximising efficiency across teams.

Forecasting and planning are also significantly enhanced through AI-driven analysis. With more accurate predictions about project timelines, costs, and potential risks, organisations can make proactive adjustments to avoid delays and cost overruns.

This results in better project outcomes, improved resource management, and higher overall efficiency.

Pricing and Availability 

Zoho Projects Plus is available immediately and priced at NGN7200 per user each month, when billed annually—27% lower than combining Projects, Sprints, Workdrive and Analytics when purchased separately.  For regional pricing, go here.

Summary of this news:

Zoho Projects Plus comes with;

• AI-Driven Insights:With predictive analytics powered by Zoho’s AI engine, Zia, businesses can forecast risks, optimise resources, and enhance decision-making.
• Seamless Integration:Projects Plus natively integrates Zoho Projects, WorkDrive, Analytics, and Sprints, eliminating silos and fostering real-time collaboration.
• Flexible Workflows:Supports Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid methodologies, catering to diverse enterprise needs.
• Cost-Effective:At NGN7200/user/month (billed annually), Projects Plus is 27% more cost-efficientthan purchasing individual Zoho apps separately.

Key findings include:

• Employees, especially C-suite, use numerous apps daily, leading to digital fatigue and difficulty accessing information.
• Poor internet connectivity is a major challenge (80% of respondents).
• Slow adoption of AI is a concern.
• The survey highlights the need for unified platforms like Zoho Workplace, which integrate communication, productivity, and collaboration tools. These platforms, especially those with AI capabilities, can improve productivity and competitiveness.

The findings reveal critical workplace productivity challenges, including the overwhelming impact of data silos resulting from fragmented systems and inefficient app usage. The survey study also highlights the growing demand for unified platforms, which can help businesses streamline employee collaboration.

“Nigerian businesses have adopted a variety of cloud tools over the years to support their digital transformation journey. However, they are beginning to recognise that these disconnected tools often lack integration with their existing technology stack, creating silos that hinder collaboration and lead to productivity losses. As this issue gains attention, the demand for unified collaboration platforms with advanced AI capabilities has surged, as corroborated by the survey findings. In Nigeria, we’ve observed a notable increase in the adoption of Zoho Workplace, reflecting this trend. Zoho Workplace set the standard for a unified experience as early as 2017, well ahead of the industry giants. It offers not just a unified interface, but brings contextual data to the forefront, saving time, and enabling users to focus on what truly matters,” said Kehinde Ogundare, country head, Zoho Nigeria.

More on the key findings by Zoho

The study shows that 55% of Nigerian businesses have adopted a fully on-site work model, while 31% operate in a hybrid setup, and the remaining 14% were in completely remote roles.

Most remote roles are held by individual contributors with limited collaboration requirements, while hybrid workers face significant barriers in maintaining effective communication.

The survey by Zoho also revealed that 51% of employees use 1–5 apps daily, 35% use 6-10 apps, while 14% rely on more than 10 apps.

App usage is higher among senior executives, with 81% of the C-Suite employees using more than 10 apps, while 72% of junior employees use 1-5 apps.

The most commonly used tools are for productivity and collaboration (68%), followed by project management (47%), business intelligence (47%), and accounting (43%). Despite widespread app usage, only 50% of the respondents track their tasks in a unified view, with higher adoption rates among the C-Suite (78%) and senior leadership (63%).

Productivity Challenges and Opportunities

For the Nigerian workforce, the biggest collaboration challenge is poor WiFi/data connectivity (80%), across demographics. This indicates the need for solutions that have an offline mode and can work in lower data connectivity.

Other collaboration challenges are digital fatigue (54%), and information spread across too many apps (45%). For middle managers, the second biggest challenge, after poor WiFi, is communication with employees in a remote or hybrid setup.

According to the respondents, the most effective way to improve productivity in Nigerian workplaces is to enable quick access to necessary information from different apps (78%), followed by adoption of new technologies like AI (72%), and the ability to communicate from within business apps (55%).

There is a clear demand for unified collaboration platforms bolstered with AI capabilities that can be integrated into existing software ecosystems. Such solutions will not only help in reducing the time taken to do the job, but can also reduce digital fatigue as one will not have to juggle multiple apps.

The Economic Outlook

As per the survey, 51% of the respondents said their organisation had adopted new technology to prepare themselves for the economic challenges.

Those who said their companies had adopted new technology were more positive about the ability of their company to deal with the competition (rating 4 out of 5) than those who said their company had not adopted new technology (rating a little over 3 out of 5).

However, largely, respondents feel their companies are adequately prepared to face economic challenges (57%).

In fact, according to the findings, slow adoption of emerging technologies like AI emerged as the most significant factor hindering their ability to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market, cited by 46% of the respondents.

Other reasons cited as causing competitive disadvantages were low adoption of digital tools (45%), and employees switching between too many apps (41%).

Zoho Workplace

Zoho Workplace is a unified collaboration platform that brings together communication, collaboration, and productivity applications, showing all relevant information and tasks in a single view.

It comprises email, chat, online meeting, webinar, office suite (word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation), file storage, and social intranet.

Kehinde Ogundare, the country manager for Zoho (Nigeria), shares insights into how the company is driving growth, ensuring data security, and maintaining gender balance within its workforce. 

“The economy and the environment might not be suitable for some startups, but we are committed to providing support,” says Ogundare, stressing Zoho’s focus on helping the startup community scale despite the economic downturn.

Zoho’s Growth: The Numbers Tell a Positive Story Speaking on Zoho’s growth over the years, Ogundare noted that the company has steadily climbed in a positive direction, “In 2022, Zoho grew by 50%, which led to us acquiring an additional 100 customers. In 2023, we experienced a 31% growth, which still signifies an increase.” 

He explains that Zoho’s consistent expansion reveals the growing trust in the company’s products, with more businesses integrating Zoho solutions into their operations.

Empowering Startups Through Zoho for Startups Despite the economic challenges that have forced many startups to shut down, Zoho is focused on creating a sustainable ecosystem for entrepreneurs. 

Ogundare pointed to Zoho for Startups, a programme designed to support startup communities by offering free credits for software use.

“We offer $500 in credit to help startups pay for essential services such as CRM and operations,” Ogundare explains. This allows emerging businesses to focus on innovation without the burden of operational costs in their early stages.

Unshaking Data Security Standards In a period where data breaches are a constant threat, Ogundare assertively shares Zoho’s spotless record in data security. “To the best of my knowledge, we’ve never had any case of a data breach. Data security and privacy are at the core of our business, and we spend a lot to ensure that customer data remains safe,” Ogundare says. 

He further emphasizes that Zoho is compliant with several regulatory bodies, conducting annual security and privacy training for employees to minimize risks.

Zoho School of Learning: Training for Impact Zoho’s commitment to education is seen in its Zoho School of Learning, where over 1,600 individuals have been trained, with 75 currently employed at Zoho. “We train and we employ. But everyone is free to seek opportunities anywhere they want,” Ogundare notes. 

This initiative, although currently available only in India, has highly impacted the country’s job market and has also built a pipeline of skilled professionals who can contribute to the tech industry. Ogundare affirms that Zoho is working to expand the school of learning to other countries including Nigeria, sooner than later.

Gender Balance and Inclusion at Zoho Zoho also takes gender balance seriously, with a focus on ensuring equal opportunities in its workforce. Ogundare shares that the company’s recent 43% impact on the Nigerian job market achieved a 60:40 male-to-female ratio, and globally, Ogundare asserts that “more than 67% of our managers are women.” 

Gender equality, he stresses, is a core value at Zoho, and the company strives to reflect this in every aspect of its recruitment and management practices.

Zoho Analytics: Empowering Businesses with Data Zoho Analytics, the company’s business intelligence software, is another tool designed to assist both businesses and individuals in making informed decisions. “Whether you’re an individual or a business, Zoho Analytics helps you understand your data and make better business decisions,” Kehinde Ogundare explains. 

This innovative tool ensures that users can leverage the power of data to drive growth and efficiency.

Zoho’s Vision for the Future In its continued support of the Nigerian tech industry, Zoho’s mission to empower startups, ensure data security, and promote gender balance reiterates a huge focus to building a sustainable and inclusive future. 

For businesses and individuals alike, Zoho remains a reliable partner in scaling through the complexities brought about by economic limitations.