Zoho Nigeria has urged women entrepreneurs to embrace digital tools, stressing that wider adoption could significantly accelerate the growth and competitiveness of female-led businesses in the country’s evolving digital economy.
The call was made during the Guardian Women Festival held at the Federal Palace Hotel, a month-long initiative organised in partnership with Guardian Newspapers to celebrate women’s contributions across business, governance and social development while promoting digital empowerment.
Speaking at the event, Zoho Nigeria Country Head, Kehinde Ogundare, highlighted a persistent digital gap among women-led businesses, noting that despite Nigeria’s high number of female entrepreneurs, fewer than 30 per cent currently leverage digital tools to scale their operations.
Delivering a keynote titled “Give Value, Gain Growth: Women Driving Reciprocal Innovation in the Digital Economy,” Ogundare argued that the gap is driven more by limited access and adoption than by a lack of talent or ambition.
“The difference is not talent. Not capital. Not ambition. It is digital adoption,” he said, adding that the right tools can significantly improve productivity, expand market reach, and strengthen business resilience.
He emphasised that digital platforms complement, rather than replace, the strengths women bring to entrepreneurship—such as relationship building and community engagement—by enhancing efficiency and enabling broader connectivity.
The festival, themed “Reciprocity,” also featured discussions on collaboration, value exchange and innovation as critical drivers of sustainable business growth.
During a panel session, Zoho Nigeria Sales Manager, Zubaida Aliyu, noted that women are uniquely positioned to drive collaboration and mentorship within digital ecosystems, particularly through platforms that support networking and knowledge sharing.
Participants at the event underscored the role of digital tools in improving the resilience of small and medium-sized enterprises, which remain a major driver of employment and economic activity in Nigeria.
However, challenges such as limited digital literacy, access to affordable solutions, and infrastructure gaps—especially outside major urban centres—continue to slow adoption rates among small businesses.
Zoho Nigeria said expanding access to scalable and cost-effective digital solutions would be key to closing this gap, unlocking business growth, and strengthening the role of women entrepreneurs in Nigeria’s broader economic development.
