The urgent need to bridge the digital gap for female entrepreneurs has again been emphasised by the Country Head of Zoho Nigeria, Mr Kehinde Ogundare.
Speaking at the Guardian Woman Festival held at the Federal Palace Hotel in Lagos recently, Mr Ogundare stressed that technology does not replace the strengths women already bring to business, such as relationship building and community engagement, but instead, it amplifies them, enabling entrepreneurs to reach wider audiences and scale more efficiently.
“The difference is not talent. Not capital. Not ambition. It is digital adoption,” he said during his keynote address titled Give Value, Gain Growth: Women Driving Reciprocal Innovation in the Digital Economy.
“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,” he added.
Zoho Nigeria partnered with Guardian Newspapers for the event as part of activities to mark a month-long initiative celebrating women’s contributions to business, governance, and social development while promoting digital empowerment for female entrepreneurs.
The Guardian Women Festival, themed Reciprocity, was to encourage the exchange of value, networks, and digital innovation to strengthen women-led businesses and foster collaboration.
While Nigeria has the highest concentration of women-owned businesses in Africa, fewer than 30 per cent currently use digital tools to manage or grow their operations.
During the festival’s panel session tagged Women in the Business of Digital Innovation, the Sales Manager for Zoho Nigeria, Ms Zubaida Aliyu, highlighted how women are uniquely positioned to create shared value in digital spaces by building platforms that encourage knowledge sharing, mentorship, and collaboration.
She also challenged organisations that continue to view women’s digital inclusion primarily as corporate social responsibility rather than a strategic business priority.
“Tech creates a level playing field,” Ms Aliyu said, noting that digital platforms remove limitations related to location and infrastructure size.
Addressing organisations that overlook the economic value of inclusive digital strategies, she added, “They are leaving money on the table — they need to think of it as a strategy, not charity.”
Through its participation in the Guardian Woman Festival, Zoho reaffirmed its commitment to providing affordable and accessible enterprise-grade technology to businesses of all sizes. By helping women transition from manual effort to digital efficiency, Zoho aims to support entrepreneurs in building scalable enterprises and ensure their sustained success in Africa’s digital economy.