Global software company, Zoho has announced a 75% year-on-year customer growth in Nigeria, while shining a spotlight on enterprise adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the country.
The customer milestone was unveiled at Zoholics Nigeria 2025 in Lagos. At the event, the company also presented new research highlighting how Nigerian businesses are redefining the balance between AI adoption and data privacy.
The study, The AI Privacy Equation: The Nigerian Model of Responsible AI Adoption, conducted by Arion Research, reveals that 93% of Nigerian companies have begun implementing AI, with nearly one-third already achieving advanced integration.
What sets the Nigerian approach apart, however, is the strong emphasis on safeguarding privacy, said the report authors. The report found that 84% of organisations strengthened their data protection measures as part of AI adoption, with most now appointing dedicated privacy officers and allocating significant IT budgets to compliance.
Michael Fauscette, CEO of Arion Research, described the findings as a challenge to long-held assumptions. “Nigeria proves that AI adoption and privacy protection are not mutually exclusive. Instead, responsible governance is becoming a competitive advantage,” he said.
“The financial services sector is leading adoption, deploying AI for automation and customer engagement while embedding privacy-by-design principles,” he added.
Other sectors, from education to energy, are also scaling AI solutions. Alongside technology, companies are investing in skills development to bridge expertise gaps in areas such as data analysis and generative AI.
Kehinde Ogundare, Zoho’s Nigeria country head, said the report mirrors the company’s philosophy of building ‘contextual, privacy-first AI models’.
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