Artificial Intelligence has quietly embedded itself into everyday operations. The chatbot responding to customers at midnight, the system forecasting inventory requirements, and the software identifying unusual transactions are no longer experimental technologies. They are becoming standard features of modern business tools.

Last month’s observance of Safer Internet Day on February 10, themed ‘Smart tech, safe choices’, marked a pivotal moment. As AI adoption accelerates, the conversation must shift from whether businesses should use AI to how they deploy it responsibly. For SMEs across Africa, digital trust is no longer a technical consideration. It is a strategic business imperative.

The evolving threat landscape

Cybersecurity threats facing sub-Saharan African SMEs have moved well beyond basic phishing emails. Globally, cybercrime costs are projected to reach $10.5 trillion this year, fuelled by generative AI and increasingly sophisticated social engineering techniques. Ransomware attacks now paralyse entire operations, while others threats quietly extract sensitive customer data over extended periods.

The regional impact is equally significant. More than 70% of South African SMEs report experiencing at least one attempted cyberattack, Nigeria faces an average of 3,759 cyberattacks per week on its businesses, Kenya recorded 2.54 billion cyber threat incidents in the first quarter of 2025 alone, whilst Africa loses approximately 10% of its GDP to cyberattacks annually.

The hidden risk of fragmentation

A common but often overlooked vulnerability lies in digital fragmentation.

In the early stages of growth, SMEs understandably prioritise affordability and agility. Over time, this can result in a patchwork of disconnected applications, each with separate logins, security standards, and privacy policies. What begins as flexibility can involve into operational complexity.

According to IBM Security’s Cost of a Data Breach Report, companies with highly fragmented security environments experienced average breach costs of $4.88 million in 2024.

Fragmented systems create blind spots, each additional data transfer between applications increases exposure. Inconsistent security protocols make governance harder to enforce. Limited visibility reduces the ability to detect anomalies early. In practical terms, complexity increases risk.

Privacy-first AI as a competitive differentiator

As AI capabilities become embedded in business software, SMEs face a choice about how they approach these powerful tools. The risks are not merely theoretical.

Consumers across Africa are becoming more aware of data rights and willing to walk away from businesses that cannot demonstrate trustworthiness.

According to KPMG’s Trust in AI report, approximately 70% of adults do not trust companies to use AI responsibly, and 81% expect misuse. Meanwhile, studies also show that 71% of consumers would stop doing business with a company that mishandles information.

Trust, once lost, is difficult to rebuild. In the digital age, a single data leak can destroy a reputation that took ten years to build.

When customers share their payment details or purchase history, they extend trust. How you handle that trust, particularly when AI processes their data, determines whether they return or take their business elsewhere.

Privacy-first, responsible AI design means building intelligence into business systems with data protection, transparency and ethical use embedded from the outset. It involves collecting only necessary information, storing it securely, being transparent about how AI makes decisions, and ensuring algorithms work without compromising customer privacy.

For SMEs, this might mean choosing inventory software where predictive AI runs on your own data without sending it externally, or customer service platforms that analyse patterns without exposing individual records. When AI is built responsibly into unified platforms, it becomes a competitive advantage: you gain operational efficiency whilst demonstrating that customer data is protected, not exploited.

Unified platforms and operational resilience

The solution lies in rethinking digital infrastructure. Rather than accumulating disparate tools, businesses need unified platforms that integrate core functions whilst maintaining consistent security protocols.

A unified approach means choosing cloud-based platforms where functions share common security standards and data flows seamlessly. For a manufacturing SME, this means inventory management, order processing and financial reporting operate within a single security framework.

When everything operates cohesively, security gaps diminish and the attack surface shrinks. And the benefits extend beyond risk reduction: employees spend less time on administrative friction, customer data stays consistent, and platforms enable secure collaboration without traditional infrastructure costs.

Safer Internet Day reminds us that the digital world requires active stewardship. For SMEs across the African continent who are navigating complex threats whilst harnessing AI’s potential, digital trust is foundational to sustainable growth.

Security, privacy and responsible AI are essential characteristics of any technology infrastructure worth building upon.

Businesses that embrace unified, privacy-first platforms will be more resilient against cyber threats and better positioned to earn and maintain trust. In a market where trust is currency, that advantage is everything.

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.

In fact, over 60% of small businesses admit that switching between tools eats up more time than they realise; time better spent on growth. What you need are tools that do the heavy lifting for you.

Let’s get into the ring, where we’d find Zoho One and Microsoft 365. Think of them as two ringmasters, one stretching to us a full cast under one roof, the other offering a streamlined performance with heavyweight security and legacy strength.

Quick Comparison Table

Overview of Each Brand

Zoho One: Overview & Strengths

Zoho markets itself as the “all-in-one business suite.” It packs over 45 apps into one ecosystem including Zoho Writer, Zoho CRM, Books, People, Recruit and even Creator, its low-code platform. Every tool is built to work together, giving you centralised control without third-party patch-ups.

Microsoft 365: Overview & Strengths

Microsoft 365 centres on productivity. You get industry essentials—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams—plus OneDrive and SharePoint for storage and collaboration. Power Automate and Power Apps add flexibility, but to cover CRM, finance, or HR, you’ll rely on external tools like Dynamics 365.

Unleashing Nigeria’s Business Potential: The Cloud as a Catalyst for Growth

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Pricing & Value for Money

Zoho keeps it straightforward: $37 per user/month (if all employees are subscribed), $90 for flexible licensing, $105 for enterprise features. One subscription covers the full suite.

Microsoft keeps it modular: Business Basic at $6; Business Standard at $12.50; Business Premium at $22; Copilot is an extra $30. You choose and pay only for the features you need, nothing more.

Ease of Use

Zoho’s strength is in its unified design. The dashboard keeps it simple, feeling like all apps were designed to live together.

Microsoft’s apps are widely recognised, most users know them. But switching between services can feel disjointed if you don’t have them tightly integrated.

App Integration & Compatibility

Zoho is great at internal integration with no APIs needed to make everything communicate. Custom workflows via Creator let you adapt tools to your needs.

Microsoft’s strengths lie in external compatibility. If your business already uses Exchange, SharePoint, or Azure, it slots in smoothly. But bridging to non-Microsoft tools can bring complexity.

Collaboration Tools

Zoho provides Cliq for chat, Meeting for video, real-time editing in Writer/Sheet, and a single dashboard to manage it all.

Microsoft brings Teams for chat/video, OneDrive and SharePoint for file collaboration, and in-suite co-authoring. It leads in collaboration polish, though Zoho’s improvements are closing the gap.

Storage & Data Management

Zoho keeps it all in one roof, you manage storage from a single control panel.

Microsoft lets you choose—OneDrive per user, SharePoint for team libraries. This is more flexible but may require admin effort to set up and optimise.

Security & Compliance

Zoho offers encryption, MFA, and compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, and ISO-27001. Decent for most small businesses.

Microsoft gives enterprise-grade protection including encryption, MFA, plus FedRAMP, Defender, Intune, and Purview. If regulatory control is essential, Microsoft is the safer bet.

Scalability & Growth Potential

Zoho scales horizontally—just add users, apps adapt. Its single platform simplifies growth.

Microsoft scales vertically—add to your stack as needs evolve. It can easily transition from SMB to enterprise scale, especially for teams already embedded in Microsoft’s ecosystem.

Pros & Cons Table

Zoho One

• Pros: All-in-one pricing, broad app suite, seamless internal integration, no third-party dependency.
• Cons: No offline apps, niche compared to Microsoft’s App familiarity, pricing jumps for flexible licensing.

Microsoft 365

• Pros: Familiar tools, offline/desktop access, unmatched security and compliance, strong collaboration, scalable.
• Cons: You pay per feature, peripheral business tools must be added, ecosystem complexity may overwhelm small teams.

User Experience & Reviews

Platforms like Gartner rate Zoho Workplace at 4.6/5: ease of use 4.7, value 4.6, support 4.5; collaboration 8.8/10. Customers commend its affordability, unified dashboard, and simplicity.

Microsoft 365 follows with 4.5/5: ease of use 4.5, value 4.3, support 4.3; collaboration 9.3/10. Users highlight familiarity and strong collaboration, but point to occasional patchiness in external integrations and support.

Verdict: Which Should Your Small Business Choose Between Zoho and Microsoft 365?

Choose Zoho One
If you want one platform that does everything—HR, sales, projects, finance, marketing—in one ecosystem. You’ll appreciate the simplicity, cost-efficiency, and seamless internal workflows.

Choose Microsoft 365
If your priorities are polished productivity apps, collaboration tools, offline access, and enterprise-grade security. It’s the choice for businesses already comfortable in Microsoft’s world or preparing to scale securely.

So…

Running your small business shouldn’t feel like solving a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded. Test both: Zoho gives you breadth; Microsoft gives you depth. Use their free trials (15–30 days for Zoho and one month for Microsoft 365) to assess what fits your workflow.

According to Kelvin Brown, customer operations executive at Telviva, integrations support businesses by enabling multichannel capabilities, with a focus on customer engagement, channel-centricity and quantity of channels, as well as omnichannel capabilities, with a focus on customer experience, customer-centricity and quality customer support.

This is especially important because the modern customer is spoilt for choice when it comes to communication channels, meaning businesses have to ensure they can provide seamless, transparent and personalised engagements with customers regardless of where they occur.

This requires strong, relevant insights about the customer, and so the starting point is a good customer relationship management (CRM) solution.

However, the world of CRM is not static. Deloitte research predicted that there would be 72% cloud CRM adoption by 2025.

With businesses increasingly moving away from legacy systems towards the cloud, there’s clearly an increased need for more flexible, cloud-based integrated communications solutions. Integrating communication capabilities with the CRM is vital for customer experience, workflow efficiency and built-in regulatory compliant features, among many more.

“Telviva’s CRM integration adds valuable context from voice or text-based customer interactions, beyond just a ‘timeline’ or ‘customer journey’ event lodged in the contact or account within a CRM. Telviva’s AI-powered contextual information filtering transcribes and extracts only the most relevant insights for each unique interaction, so that businesses can focus on what truly matters in each customer engagement,” says Brown.

He says key capabilities of the solution include summarised engagement notes, automated transcription and intelligent task management.

He explains that the integration solution currently meets almost all business requirements. Where a business does have unique challenges, or in instances where they have complex ecosystems, as is the case with many of the larger enterprises, Telviva’s local development team has the ability to customise in order to provide bespoke solutions.

Brown says that Telviva complements the standard CRM integration solution with its software development kit (SDK).

The SDK allows developers to embed Telviva’s communication functionality into bespoke or custom CRM systems.

“The SDK, which is in an advanced stage of development, provides functions such as calling and call control, various contact centre features, dashboarding for agent metrics, backend functions such as call recording and reporting, and transcription capabilities.”

He says that the SDK offering will benefit larger enterprises that cannot simply migrate to cloud CRM platforms.

“This solution enables organisations to integrate Telviva’s telephony and communication features directly into their existing systems. This provides flexibility and access to world-class, advanced communication capabilities, while maintaining their current infrastructure,” says Brown.

He explains that Telviva’s CRM integrations support multiple cloud CRM platforms, saying that market demand informs which CRM platforms are supported.

“The development decisions are based on market adoption in South Africa, with attention to global trends, and driven by our customers’ needs. In the UCaaS world, which is Telviva One, we support Zoho, Zendesk, Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics and Freshdesk. On the CCaaS side, we support native CRM integrations such as Salesforce, Freshsales, Servicenow, SugarCRM and Zoho, while the business also has open channel capabilities, integrating into any other CRM, legacy and in-house developed systems.”

CRM systems today are far more than just customer relationship software, as they are made up of many different components that are integral in day-to-day business operations. “For example, they may incorporate modules for billing and subscriptions, quoting, projects, support, development teams, HR and marketing,” explains Brown.

“This means that if the CRM is the default screen that teams use to do their work, the connector now enables the organisation to bring its communication suite from Telviva into this workspace and closes the loop, removing another device or application, with the obvious efficiencies attached.

“In the CCaaS world, the Telviva Omni system is typically the default screen, or the single pane of glass used by the agent, and in these cases, the integration between the Telviva Omni and the CRM is there to push and pull the relevant data to the agent to manage the interaction,” says Brown.

He says that Telviva caters for businesses that require a basic solution as well as those that are in need of a full omnichannel operation.

“Our teams work closely with businesses to understand their unique needs and context, and then provide the best fit for their digital journeys.”

This couldn’t be further from the truth, especially in Nigeria, where cloud adoption is growing, yet the affordability of cloud services is still bothersome for many. 

Surprisingly, the global cloud computing market is projected to reach $947.3 billion by 2026, with over 96% of companies using public cloud services. 

This growth is reflective of the way businesses, big and small, are leveraging cloud services to reduce costs of operations and improve efficiency. 

While Nigeria’s cloud market is projected to reach $1.03 billion by 2025, it’s necessary to understand how Nigerian startups and SMEs can benefit from affordable cloud solutions to facilitate growth and operations, as well as get to know providers that offer affordable services.

For small businesses in Nigeria, adopting cloud computing goes beyond reducing overhead costs. It also includes scaling operations and ensuring you do not miss opportunities at all. 

With the market growing at a compound annual rate of 25.98% from 2025 to 2030, it’s obvious that cloud computing is a necessity for businesses that intend to scale.

The Nigerian government has even positioned cloud adoption as a priority through initiatives like the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), further encouraging businesses to embrace the cloud.

Sectors such as fintech, e-commerce, and education are already taking up this technology, helping to drive innovation, efficiency, and growth. Moving to cloud solutions will help businesses significantly reduce costs tied to infrastructure, improve collaboration, and scale as needed without the issue of upfront capital expenditure.

Affordable Cloud Service Providers: Global and Local Solutions

When it comes to cloud services, Nigerian businesses can choose from a variety of global and local providers that offer cost-effective solutions. Here are some options for small businesses and startups:

Global Providers

1. Google Workspace Google Workspace provides a suite of tools—Gmail, Drive, Docs, and more—perfect for collaboration.

• Pricing: Plans start at ₦5,508 per user per month.
• Benefits: Seamless integration, enhanced collaboration, and solid security features.

2. AWS Free Tier Amazon Web Services offers a free tier for new customers, enabling startups to access services like storage and virtual servers for the first 12 months, making it ideal for those just starting.

• Pricing: Free for the first 12 months, then standard rates apply.
• Benefits: A wide range of services, pay-as-you-go model, and scalability.

3. Microsoft Azure for Startups Azure offers a programme designed for startups, providing free credits and access to developer tools.

• Pricing: Up to $150,000 in Azure credits.
• Benefits: Access to advanced cloud services, technical support, and resources built specifically for startups.

4. Zoho Known for its affordable CRM and collaboration tools, Zoho is popular among small businesses seeking value for money.

• Pricing: Varies depending on services; starts at ₦10,999 per organization per year.
• Benefits: Low-cost solutions with customizable workflows and multi-currency support.

5. Rack Centre As one of Nigeria’s leading data centres, Rack Centre provides affordable and reliable cloud hosting solutions with localized support.

• Pricing: Detailed pricing given upon request.
• Benefits: Local data hosting, compliance with Nigerian data protection regulations, and minimal latency.

6. MainOne Cloud Services MainOne gives flexible cloud storage and hosting solutions designed for Nigerian businesses.

• Pricing: Provides detailed pricing upon request.
• Benefits: Cost-effective services with strong security features and local infrastructure.

These providers make it clear that access to cloud services doesn’t have to come at a premium. Whether from global giants or local players, affordable and reliable options are within reach.

Why Cloud Computing is Essential for Nigerian SMEs

Adopting cloud solutions can interestingly improve business efficiency and collaboration. With cloud services, Nigerian SMEs can:

• Save Costs: No need for expensive hardware or IT infrastructure; the pay-as-you-go model allows businesses to pay only for what they use.
• Scale Easily: Resources can be adjusted based on demand, meaning businesses can scale without worrying about infrastructure limitations.
• Collaborate Better: Real-time collaboration tools enhance teamwork, regardless of geographic location.
• Ensure Security: Leading providers offer encryption and security updates, making data protection easier than ever.

Even with these benefits, many small business owners still assume that cloud computing is only for large corporations. This misconception is the real limitation to adequate adoption.

How to Choose the Right Cloud Solution

To help Nigerian startups and SMEs make the most of the cloud, here are some important factors to consider when selecting a cloud provider:

• Business Needs: Does your business need storage, customer management tools, or collaboration tools? Determine your priorities.
• Budget: Compare pricing models. Some providers offer pay-as-you-go options, while others have subscription-based models.
• Scalability: Choose a provider that can scale with your business as it grows.
• Customer Support: Ensure that the provider offers excellent customer service in case of technical difficulties.
• Security: Select providers with strong security measures to protect sensitive data.

Cost-Saving Tips for SMEs Using Cloud Services

There are several strategies that can help Nigerian SMEs make the most of their cloud investments:

• Utilize Free Tiers and Trials: Take advantage of free plans and trial periods to test services without commitment.
• Start Small: Begin with basic packages and scale up as needed.
• Monitor Usage: Regularly assess cloud usage to avoid paying for unused services.
• Bundle Services: Opt for providers that offer comprehensive plans that include a variety of services.

Overcoming Challenges in Cloud Adoption

While cloud computing can greatly help businesses, several challenges need to be dealt with for Nigerian SMEs. They include:

• Internet Connectivity: Poor connectivity can limit access to cloud services. SMEs can mitigate this by selecting providers with offline-sync capabilities or partnering with reliable ISPs.
• Cybersecurity: SMEs may fear data breaches. This can be resolved by choosing recognized providers and adopting strong security practices like multi-factor authentication.
• Knowledge Gaps: Many SMEs lack the expertise to fully leverage cloud services. Offering IT training or hiring consultants can help bridge this gap.

The availability of affordable cloud solutions has enhanced operations for Nigerian startups and small businesses. Hence, with the adoption of cloud computing, operations become less expensive with easy scalability and efficiency becomes better. 

Held at Eko Hotel, the Zenith Tech Fair 4.0 brought together industry leaders, tech enthusiasts, startups, and stakeholders to explore cutting-edge technologies shaping the future of business and lifestyle.

Highlights of Zenith Bank Tech Fair 4.0

Dr. Jim Ovia, the founder and chairman of Zenith Bank, inspired thousands of people who gathered at the event, emphasizing the importance of the annual tech fair.

Dr. Ovia also spoke about future plans to properly integrate technology in Zenith Bank for better and more efficient services.

Dame (Dr.) Adaora Umeoji, the group managing director of Zenith Bank Plc, in her welcome address, appreciated the chairman, Dr. Jim Ovia, for birthing the idea that led to the establishment of the tech fair initiative five years ago.

She thanked him for his vision in utilising technology to revolutionise the world of business and banking.

Dame Umeoji also stressed the importance of innovation and embedded finance in ensuring strong and enduring institutions.

According to her,

“It is paramount that we adapt and adopt technology to stay ahead of the curve. We have seen various cases of companies that failed because of their lack of innovation. It is quite obvious that when companies fail to innovate, they can easily be displaced. So, this is not the time to be orthodox; innovation should be a top priority for us.”

The GMD said Zenith Bank remains committed to providing digital solutions that empower businesses and individuals.

In his goodwill message, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Governor of Lagos State, called for a global approach to doing business in the country.

“What we need to do is to be able to enhance our product and services in order to compete in the world. We can’t continue to act local, we need to think global. Anything that we’re doing now, we need to be able to know that we are not just serving a local market, we actually want to serve the global market, and I’m glad that consistently, for the past four years, I have kept up with the Zenith Tech Fair.

Inspiring Keynote presentation

Robin Speculand, an expert digital implementation specialist graced the event all the way from Singapore.

He took the audience through series of trivia and quizzes to help them understand the evolving digital transformation landscape.

Speculand stated that for business to grow and evolve its technology there has to be a digital mindset. He expatiated on digital mindset thus;

“Empowerment: every business must carry the mindset that their services must empower people

“Platforms: the digital mindset allows businesses make use of multiple platforms that can be accessible by anyone

“Experimentation: a business must be ready to try out new things and take risks.

“Asking the right questions: a digitally minded person must know the right questions to ask

“Customer centric: the business must focus on what the customers want and tailor the products or services to suit their needs.

“Stakeholders: the business must have powerful stakeholders that are also very knowledgeable and experienced in the tech space

“Agility: a digitally minded business must be active and quick

He also mentioned that, digital transformation fails sometimes because some companies want to change the entire culture of the people or because they are transforming their entire business thereby losing the policy that the customers have come to trust.

“Digital transformation is not about having a digital strategy it is about having strategies in a digital world. Also, at the heart of digital transformation always comes the customer”, he said.

Danilo McGary,  a renowned expert in digital transformation and AI, also enlightened the audience about the possibilities of artificial intelligence (AI).

“AI has been in existence for over 60 years but was not really developed until now. There are three kinds of AI; Narrow AI; Traditional AI which is the regular AI that helps in answering questions just like ChatGPT or Gemini, and Artificial Generative Intelligence (AGI) is an AI system that can do anything a human or a group of humans can do and do it even better”.

“The Generative AI has advanced so much that it can learn things on its own without any prompt or instruction”, he said.

Dr. Jania Okwechime, the partner and AI | data leader for Deloitte, Africa, added that generative AI helps to increase efficiency and transform businesses.

“Gen AI can be used for fraud detection to prevent cybercrimes. It can also be used for document search and synthesis”, she said.

Panel Discussions | Technology in Business and Governance

The Zenith Tech Fair 4.0 also featured panel session with Wole Olutoye, Ada Jabaru, Funke Opeke, Guy Kuti, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Engr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote, Dr. Anuwal Adam Sa’ad, speaking.

They unanimously agreed on the need to cautiously improve application of technology to every sector of the economy, especially the health sector to promote efficiency, accuracy and effectiveness, securing of documents to avoid impersonation and theft, amongst other discussions.

Innovative Product Launches and Exhibitions

The tech fair served as a platform for unveiling groundbreaking solutions. Leading exhibitors, including Ethnos, ZOHO, Zone, Vertiv, ZamZamPay, Dataflex, Zenith Insurance, etc, showcased products ranging from AI-powered cybersecurity solutions, data centre tools to cutting-edge fintech innovations.

Zecathon

Meanwhile, 10 contestants in the hackathon session at the fourth edition of the Zenith Tech Fair (#ZenithBankTechfair2024) received a total of N77.5m in prize money.

The winners emerged at the tech fair themed ‘Future Forward 4.0: Embedded Finance, Cybersecurity & Growth Imperatives – The Impact of AI,’ held on Thursday in Lagos.

The prize money was shared among 10 finalists who emerged from the over 1,700 contestants took part in the hackathon [READ MORE HERE].

Zenith Bank’s Digital Innovation

The bank demonstrated its pioneering digital banking services, reinforcing its role as a leader in Nigeria’s financial technology space. Attendees experienced live demonstrations of the bank’s seamless payment solutions, mobile apps, and innovative tools designed to enhance user experience.

Driving Nigeria’s Tech Ecosystem Forward

Zenith Bank Tech Fair 4.0 emphasized collaboration as the key to accelerating Nigeria’s tech ecosystem. By connecting innovators, investors, and businesses, the event underscored Zenith Bank’s leadership in promoting technology as a driver of sustainable development.

Social Media Buzz

The event trended on social media platforms, with the hashtag #ZenithBankTechFair4 gaining traction among attendees and tech enthusiasts. Users shared highlights, photos, and key takeaways, further amplifying the fair’s impact.

Looking Ahead

As Zenith Bank Tech Fair 4.0 concludes, anticipation builds for the next edition. With its dedication to championing innovation, Zenith Bank continues to pave the way for technological progress and digital transformation in Nigeria.

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Once the LLMs are built and deployed, they will be available to Zoho Corporation’s 700,000+ customers across ManageEngine and Zoho.com globally.

Over the past year, the company has invested more than USD 10 million in NVIDIA’s AI technology and GPUs, and plans to invest an additional USD 10 million in the coming year.

The announcement was made during the NVIDIA AI Summit in Mumbai.

Ramprakash Ramamoorthy, Director of AI at Zoho Corporation, commented,

“Many LLMs on the market today are designed for consumer use, offering limited value for businesses. At Zoho, our mission is to develop LLMs tailored specifically for a wide range of business use cases.

Owning our entire tech stack, with products spanning various business functions, allows us to integrate the essential element that makes AI truly effective: context.”

Zoho prioritises user privacy from the outset to create models that are compliant with privacy regulations from the ground up, rather than retrofitting them later. Its goal is to help businesses realise ROI swiftly and effectively by leveraging the full stack of NVIDIA AI software and accelerated computing to increase throughput and reduce latency.

Zoho has been building its own AI technology for over a decade and adding it contextually to its wide portfolio of over 100 products across its ManageEngine and Zoho divisions.

Its approach to AI is multi-modal, geared towards deriving contextual intelligence that can help users make business decisions.

The company is building narrow, small and medium language models, which are distinct from LLMs.

This provides options for using different size models in order to provide better results across a variety of use cases.

Relying on multiple models also means that businesses that do not have a large amount of data can still benefit from AI. Privacy is also a core tenet in Zoho’s AI strategy, and its LLM models will not be trained on customer data.

“The ability to choose from a range of AI model sizes empowers businesses to tailor their AI solutions precisely to their needs, balancing performance with cost-effectiveness,” said Vishal Dhupar, managing director, Asia South at NVIDIA. “With NVIDIA’s AI software and accelerated computing platform, Zoho is building a broad range of models to help serve the diverse needs of its business customers.”

Through this collaboration, Zoho will be accelerating its LLMs on the NVIDIA accelerated computing platform with NVIDIA Hopper  GPUs, using the NVIDIA NeMo end-to-end platform for developing custom generative AI—including LLMs, multimodal, vision, and speech AI.

Additionally, Zoho is testing NVIDIA TensorRT-LLM to optimise its LLMs for deployment, and has already seen a 60% increase in throughput and 35% reduction in latency compared with a previously used open-source framework.

The company is also accelerating other workloads like speech-to-text on NVIDIA accelerated computing infrastructure.

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.

With over 1,500 schools across Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda, Bridge International Academies is one of the largest education providers in Africa focused on providing quality, affordable education to underserved communities.

Bridge International Academies uses a data-driven approach to ensure that children receive high-quality education, regardless of their socio-economic status.

The partnership with Zoho is expected to further enhance Bridge’s ability to deliver impactful educational outcomes through the use of Zoho’s comprehensive suite of cloud-based applications.

Ogundare explained the importance of this collaboration, saying, “At Zoho, we believe in the power of technology to drive social impact. Our partnership with Bridge International Academies will help drive our goal to help communities thrive by empowering institutions like Bridge with the tools they need to deliver top-tier education.”

Through this partnership, Zoho aims to sponsor school uniforms, shoes, and fees for four academic terms, starting from the third term of 2024 and extending into 2025. In addition to these essentials, Zoho will provide other necessary items to 200 underprivileged pupils attending Bridge International Schools.

Zoho is contributing to sustainability by repurposing billboard flex materials to create school bags. These eco-friendly bags, designed and distributed by Zoho, have been given to 500 school children in Nigeria, further enhancing the company’s focus on both social and environmental responsibility.

The partnership will also see Bridge International Academies leveraging Zoho’s platform to simplify its operations, improve communication, and enhance overall efficiency.

Bridge will integrate Zoho’s productivity tools such as Zoho Workplace, Zoho CRM, and Zoho Desk into its day-to-day operations, allowing administrators, teachers, and support staff to work more effectively.

Zoho’s cloud-based tools will enable Bridge to manage student data, track academic performance, and facilitate better communication between schools, teachers, and parents.

One of the key aspects of the partnership is Zoho’s ability to offer customized solutions specifically tending to the needs of educational institutions.

“We understand that every industry is unique, and education is no exception. That’s why we’ve developed tools that are adaptable and can be tailored to the specific needs of schools like Bridge International Academies,” Ogundare noted.

By using Zoho’s tools, Bridge International Academies will also be able to analyze data more efficiently, allowing them to make informed decisions that can improve student outcomes.

For instance, Zoho Analytics will enable Bridge to assess the performance of its schools, track student attendance, and evaluate the effectiveness of teaching methods. These insights will help Bridge to refine its approach and ensure that it continues to provide high-quality education to its students.

Ogundare also emphasized the scalability of Zoho’s solutions, which will allow Bridge to expand its operations and reach even more students across Africa.

This partnership is part of Zoho’s goal to support social impact initiatives across the globe. Zoho has a long history of working with non-profit organizations and educational institutions, providing them with the tools they need to succeed in their missions.