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The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has partnered with global technology company Zoho to accelerate digital adoption and strengthen the competitiveness of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across Nigeria.
Under the partnership, Zoho will provide wallet credits worth up to N20 billion to as many as 25,000 eligible MSMEs within the SMEDAN ecosystem, enabling participating businesses to access a range of cloud-based business applications.
The initiative is designed to help small businesses improve productivity, formalise their operations, expand their market reach and build the digital capabilities required to compete in an increasingly technology-driven economy.
The collaboration supports SMEDAN’s GROW Nigerian strategy, which prioritises business formalisation, access to finance and markets, productivity improvement and digital adoption as key drivers of MSME development.
As part of its formalisation efforts, SMEDAN is also collaborating with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to facilitate the free registration of 250,000 businesses, with the aim of bringing more enterprises into the formal economy and expanding their access to financing, markets and other growth opportunities.
Digital tools to support MSME growth
Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of SMEDAN, Charles Odii, said digital capability had become increasingly important to helping small businesses transition from survival to sustainable growth.
He said the agency’s focus was to equip entrepreneurs with the tools and support required to formalise their businesses, improve operational efficiency, access new markets and build enterprises capable of competing locally and internationally.
“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,” Odii said.
According to him, the partnership with Zoho would create an additional pathway for businesses within the SMEDAN ecosystem to strengthen their operations through technology and access practical digital solutions.
Country Head of Zoho Nigeria, Kehinde Ogundare, said providing access to technology must be accompanied by the knowledge and support required for businesses to use digital tools effectively.
“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,” Ogundare said.
He explained that the partnership would help reduce some of the barriers preventing small businesses from adopting digital solutions, while providing participating enterprises with training, consultation and technical assistance.
Access to cloud-based business solutions
Through the initiative, eligible MSMEs will be able to use Zoho Wallet Credits to access applications from the company’s portfolio of more than 60 products, depending on their specific operational requirements.
The available solutions include Zoho Workplace, which provides business email and collaboration tools; Bigin by Zoho, a customer relationship management platform designed for small businesses; and Zoho Books, a cloud-based accounting and financial management solution.
The tools can support several aspects of MSME operations, including accounting, customer relationship management, communication, collaboration and business administration.
Beyond technology access, Zoho will organise training sessions, workshops and one-on-one business consultations to help participating enterprises understand how to integrate the solutions into their operations.
The company will also provide ongoing technical support to assist businesses with adoption and address challenges that may arise as they deploy the tools.
SMEDAN and Zoho will jointly oversee the implementation of the programme, including reaching eligible businesses, monitoring adoption and assessing the impact of the initiative on participating enterprises.
Digitalisation as a growth driver
The partnership comes at a time when Nigerian MSMEs are under growing pressure to improve efficiency, reach customers through digital channels and manage operating costs amid a challenging business environment.
For many small businesses, the adoption of digital tools can help replace fragmented manual processes with more integrated systems for managing finances, customers, communications and other day-to-day operations.
Effective digital adoption can also improve access to business information, strengthen record-keeping and provide entrepreneurs with better visibility into their operations, supporting more informed decision-making.
The SMEDAN-Zoho partnership therefore places digitalisation alongside business formalisation, productivity improvement and market access as key components of efforts to build a stronger and more competitive MSME ecosystem in Nigeria.
By combining access to technology with training and technical support, the initiative is expected to help participating businesses move beyond basic technology adoption towards the effective use of digital solutions as tools for productivity, compliance, market expansion and long-term growth.
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