Strategic Partnership Aims to Boost Digital Adoption Among Small Businesses

In a significant move to support Nigeria’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, Zoho Corporation has joined forces with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) to offer ₦20 billion in wallet credits to eligible Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The initiative will benefit up to 25,000 businesses associated with SMEDAN, providing them with access to Zoho’s suite of cloud-based applications.

The partnership combines SMEDAN’s mandate to promote MSME development with Zoho’s affordable technology solutions. This aligns with SMEDAN’s GROW Nigerian strategy, which focuses on formalization, productivity enhancement, and digital adoption for small businesses.

“Our focus at SMEDAN is to help small businesses transition from survival mode to sustainable growth,” said Charles Odii, Director General/CEO of SMEDAN. “Digital capabilities are now essential for this journey, and this partnership with Zoho provides a practical pathway for thousands of MSMEs to strengthen their operations.”

The initiative addresses a critical need in the Nigerian market where technology adoption among SMEs remains low despite its potential to drive productivity and competitiveness. Eligible businesses can use the Zoho Wallet Credits for applications like:

• Zoho Workplace: Business email, collaboration tools, and document management
• Bigin by Zoho CRM: Pipeline-centric customer relationship management
• Zoho Books: Cloud accounting platform

Beyond technology access, Zoho will offer training sessions, workshops, and business consultations to ensure businesses can effectively integrate these solutions into their operations.

“This partnership reflects our commitment to supporting Nigeria’s entrepreneurial ecosystem,” said Kehinde Ogundare, Country Head of Zoho Nigeria. “By reducing the cost barrier to world-class technology and providing ongoing support, we aim to empower MSMEs to streamline processes, expand market reach, and build more resilient businesses.”

The initiative builds on Zoho’s existing partnerships in Nigeria, including efforts with the Corporate Affairs Commission to facilitate free business registrations.