Nigeria's Privacy-First AI Push Fuels Zoho's 75% Surge

Zoho Nigeria has experienced a 75% year-on-year increase in customer growth in 2024, according to a recent report commissioned by the company and conducted by Arion Research. The study, titled The AI Privacy Equation: The Nigerian Model of Responsible AI Adoption, revealed that Nigerian businesses are setting a global benchmark by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) with strong privacy safeguards. The findings were presented at Zoholics Nigeria 2025, Zoho’s annual user conference held in Lagos.

The research highlights that 93% of Nigerian organizations have started their AI journey, with 31% achieving advanced AI integration across their operations and 26.5% implementing AI across multiple departments. This suggests that more than half of businesses in Nigeria are moving from experimental AI use to operational deployment. Kehinde Ogundare, Country Head of Zoho Nigeria, emphasized that the Nigerian model demonstrates how AI innovation can coexist with privacy-first approaches, a philosophy that aligns with Zoho’s own development of contextual and privacy-centric AI tools.

Privacy protection is a central feature of AI adoption in Nigeria, with 84% of organizations reporting strengthened privacy measures since implementing AI systems. Of these, 66% described the improvements as significant. The report also noted that 94% of surveyed organizations now have a dedicated privacy officer or team, significantly higher than global averages. Moreover, 40% of these organizations allocate over 30% of their IT budgets to privacy protection, highlighting a growing recognition of privacy governance as a competitive advantage.

The financial services sector is leading the charge in Nigeria’s AI transformation, representing 29% of the surveyed organizations. Banks and fintech firms are leveraging AI for customer service automation, software development, and marketing optimization, with privacy-by-design principles embedded into these initiatives. The top AI use cases include enhancing customer service (49%), software development and enhancement (46%), and marketing optimization (32%). These developments are supported by a leadership-driven approach, with over half of survey respondents in executive or CEO-level roles, accelerating the move from pilot projects to full-scale deployment.

Zoho’s growth in Nigeria is attributed to the increasing demand for scalable and unified digital solutions, with its top revenue-generating products including Zoho Workplace, Zoho Books, Zoho Campaigns, and Zoho One. These tools are being adopted across a range of industries, including IT services, financial services, energy, manufacturing, real estate, education, and retail. The diversity of sectors adopting Zoho’s solutions reflects the broader digital transformation underway in Nigeria.

The Nigerian model of responsible AI is also shaped by a growing awareness of regulatory frameworks. Since the introduction of the Nigerian Data Protection Act, businesses have become more proactive in compliance, with many conducting regular privacy audits and implementing data minimization practices. This regulatory focus is positioning Nigerian organizations to compete in international markets where trust and transparency are essential. As AI adoption continues to expand, the Nigerian example may serve as a blueprint for other countries seeking to balance innovation with privacy and ethical governance.

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[1] 9% Organisations Use AI in Nigeria, 31% in Advanced Usage (https://allafrica.com/stories/202509090034.html)

[2] Zoho reports 75% growth as Nigerian businesses lead ... (https://technext24.com/2025/09/09/zoho-reports-75-growth-responsible-ai/)