A global technology company, Zoho on Thursday announced a 31 per cent growth in its Nigerian operations in 2023.
The Country Head, Zoho Nigeria, Mr Kehinde Ogundare, said, at the Zoholics Nigeria news conference in Lagos, that the growth was as result of providing over 55 apps to local businesses in Naira.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Zoholics Nigeria is an annual user conference that explores Zoho’s products and developer platforms.
Ogundare said that Zoho had experienced impressive growth in the Nigerian market since commencing operations in 2020.
He said that in over three years, Zoho had achieved a 43 per cent Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) in Nigeria.
According to him, in 2023 alone, Zoho saw a 21 per cent increase in its partner network, additionally the company expanded its local workforce in Nigeria by 40 per cent.
“Zoho’s success in Nigeria stems from the widespread adaptation of its flagship products, including Zoho Workplace, Zoho Books, Zoho Desk, Zoho CRM, and Zoho One.
“These products have played a crucial role in optimising business operations, improving customer experience and enhancing efficiency.
“Zoho’s success in the Nigerian region is driven by key sectors such as financial services, energy, real estate and construction, information technology (IT) hardware & related services, professional services (non-IT), utilities and resources and retail,” he said.
He said that Zoho would continue to grow its presence in Africa with a focus on ensuring positive impacts on the local economy, communities, and the broader business ecosystem.
The country head said that this approach aligned with Zoho’s transnational local strategy, which emphasised being rooted in local markets while staying globally connected.
He said that to support this, Zoho was committed to hiring local talents, strengthening partner networks and creating products tailored to the local market.
Ogundare added that, additionally to serve the community, the organisation was supporting the education of children and also undertaking sustainability initiatives.
Speaking on its planned Corporate Social Responsibility, Ogundare noted that one out of every five out-of-school children was a Nigerian, amounting to 10.5 million out-of-school children in the country.
He said that this spurred the need to collaborate with Bridge International Academies (BIA) to support the education of underprivileged and out-of-school children.
The country head stressed that the partnership was to establish a meaningful Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative in Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda.
He said that the primary objective of the partnership was to support the education of 200 children from underserved communities.
According to him, the educational support will be by sponsoring school uniforms, fees for four terms, and other essential items for students attending BIA.
Ogundare said that this initiative aimed at addressing the issue of financial constraints that hindered many pupils’ access to essential school supplies.
He said that Zoho recognised the crucial role of education in societal development and was committed to breaking down these barriers by supporting BIA pupils with necessary supplies.
According to him, additionally, Zoho will assist the school in its digitalisation efforts, offering Zoho Wallet Credits to help them utilise the company’s technology.
Ogundare said that Zoho was also recycling the billboards of its out-of-home ads and turning them into bags, adding that it had recycled over 500 flexes from Nigeria and over 1300 in Kenya so far.
According to him, Zoho is also committed to strengthening its sustainability efforts, including expanding its recycling programmes, such as flex recycling.
The country head said that, earlier in the year, the company embarked on several upskilling partnerships across Africa.
He said that these included Zoho’s partnership with She Code Africa (SCA), in which it conducted ‘Train the trainer’ sessions for SCA Academy trainers among other initiatives.
Foyinsola Akinjayeju, Managing Director, BIA, Nigeria, said that every child had the right to education.
She said that, however, many children from underprivileged backgrounds faced significant barriers to accessing quality learning opportunities.
Akinjayeju explained that this was the reason BIA was committed to transforming the lives of millions of children in underserved communities by delivering life-changing education.
She said that through strategic partnerships, BIA aimed to bridge this gap by providing vital resources and high quality education to the students they served.
“We are thrilled and deeply grateful for our partnership with Zoho, as our shared commitment to delivering meaningful value is at the heart of what unites us,’’ she said.
NAN reports that Bridge International Academies is a network of community schools that provide access to quality, affordable education to underserved communities in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and India.
