Zoho Nigeria has issued a strong call for increased digital adoption among women entrepreneurs, emphasizing its crucial role in accelerating the growth and competitiveness of female-led businesses within Nigeria's burgeoning digital economy. This appeal was a central theme at the recent Guardian Woman Festival, a month-long initiative held at the Federal Palace Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, organized in partnership with Guardian Newspapers. The festival celebrated women's contributions to business, governance, and social development while actively promoting digital empowerment for female entrepreneurs.

The festival's theme, “Reciprocity,” underscored the importance of exchanging value, networks, and digital innovation to strengthen women-led enterprises and foster cross-sector collaboration. Kehinde Ogundare, Country Head of Zoho Nigeria, delivered a keynote address titled “Give Value, Gain Growth: Women Driving Reciprocal Innovation in the Digital Economy.” During his address, Ogundare highlighted a significant digital gap affecting women entrepreneurs in Nigeria. Despite Nigeria having one of the highest concentrations of women-owned businesses in Africa, fewer than 30% currently utilize digital tools for managing or scaling their operations [2, 3, 4, 6, 8].

Ogundare asserted that the primary challenge is not a lack of capability or ambition, but rather limited access to and adoption of digital solutions. "The difference is not talent. Not capital. Not ambition. It is digital adoption," he stated. "Smart tools create smart businesses. Smart businesses create strong economies. When women entrepreneurs and leaders have access to the right tools, the possibilities for growth are limitless" [2, 3, 4, 6]. He further explained that digital platforms enhance, rather than replace, the inherent strengths women bring to entrepreneurship, such as relationship building and community engagement, by enabling broader reach and operational efficiency [2, 3, 5, 6].

Zubaida Aliyu, Sales Manager at Zoho Nigeria, also participated in a panel session on 'Women in the Business of Digital Innovation.' She emphasized how women are uniquely positioned to create shared value in digital spaces through platforms that support knowledge sharing, mentorship, and business networking [2, 5]. Aliyu challenged organizations that perceive women's digital inclusion as mere corporate social responsibility rather than a strategic business imperative, stating, "They are leaving money on the table — they need to think of it as a strategy, not charity" [3, 4, 6].

Zoho Nigeria's participation in the festival reaffirms its commitment to providing affordable and accessible enterprise-grade technology to businesses of all sizes. By facilitating the transition of women entrepreneurs from manual processes to digital efficiency, Zoho aims to support the creation of scalable enterprises and ensure their sustained success in Africa's dynamic digital economy [3, 5]. The push for greater digital adoption among women entrepreneurs is particularly timely as businesses increasingly rely on cloud-based tools, automation, and data-driven platforms to compete effectively in both local and global markets.