Lagos, Nigeria — August, 2026 — Zoho [1], a global technology
company, has announced a strategic partnership with the Small and Medium
Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) [2] to improve access
to affordable cloud technology for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
(MSMEs) across Nigeria.
The strategic partnership combines SMEDAN’s reach and mandate to
promote and facilitate the development of Nigeria’s MSME sector with
Zoho’s portfolio of affordable and scalable cloud-based business
applications. Through the partnership, Zoho will make available wallet
credits with an aggregate value of up to ₦20 billion to a maximum of
25,000 eligible MSMEs associated with SMEDAN.
The initiative aligns with the Agency’s GROW Nigerian strategy, which
prioritises formalisation, access to finance and markets, productivity
and digital adoption. This includes an ongoing partnership with the
Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to facilitate the free registration
of 250,000 businesses, bringing more MSMEs into the formal economy and
positioning them to access wider opportunities for growth.
“Our focus at SMEDAN is to ensure that small businesses are able to
move from survival to growth and prosperity. That means helping
entrepreneurs formalise, improve productivity, reach new markets and
build businesses that can compete, said the Director general/CEO of
SMEDAN, Charles Odii. Digital capability is now an important part of
that journey, and this partnership with Zoho gives thousands of MSMEs
within our ecosystem another practical pathway to strengthen how they
operate and grow.”
“MSMEs are fundamental to Nigeria’s economic development, but
technology can only deliver its full potential when businesses are able
to access and effectively use it,” said Kehinde Ogundare, Country
Head, Zoho Nigeria. “Through this partnership with SMEDAN, we are
reducing the access barrier to adopting world-class business technology
while providing businesses with the training, consultation and support
they need to leverage cloud technology to streamline their operations,
and catapult their growth. The partnership also reflects Zoho’s
transnational localism strategy, which combines our global technology
expertise with efforts to create self-sustaining local economic
clusters. Through this approach, we aim to deepen our contribution to
Nigeria’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and support the development of a
more digitallyenabled and resilient MSME sector”
Eligible businesses can use Zoho Wallet Credits for accessing any of
Zoho’s 60+ applications that match their operational requirements, such
as Zoho Workplace [3], Zoho’s business email and collaboration suite;
Bigin by Zoho CRM [4], a pipeline-centric CRM solution designed for
small businesses; and Zoho Books [5], Zoho’s cloud accounting
platform.
Beyond technology access, Zoho will provide participating MSMEs with
training sessions, workshops and one-on-one business consultations
throughout the partnership term, as well as ongoing technical support.
These initiatives are intended to help businesses develop the practical
digital capabilities required to integrate technology effectively into
their operations. Zoho and SMEDAN will also work together on the
implementation of the programme, including outreach to eligible
businesses, and monitoring programme adoption and impact.
Disclaimer: All trademarks, product names, and company names cited
herein are the property of their respective owners.
About Zoho
With over 60 apps across nearly every major business category, Zoho
Corporation is one of the world’s most prolific technology companies.
It owns and operates its data centres, and is committed to protecting
customer data privacy and security. Over 150 million users globally
trust Zoho to run their businesses, including Zoho itself. Zoho is
privately held and profitable, employing more than 19,000 people
worldwide. It also has offices in the USA, Canada, UK, Japan, China,
Singapore, The Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, and other
countries. In the Middle East and Africa region, Zoho is headquartered
in the UAE, and has offices in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, South Africa,
Nigeria, Kenya, Qatar and Mauritius. For more information, visit
www.zoho.com.
About SMEDAN
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN)
is a Federal Government agency charged with promoting and facilitating
the development of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises sub-sector in
Nigeria. Through partnerships, programmes and enterprise-development
initiatives, SMEDAN works to improve MSMEs’ access to business
development solutions, digital technologies, productivity tools and
other value-added services that enhance competitiveness, operational
efficiency and long-term sustainability.
