Welcome to the December edition of the Zoho Africa Newsletter!

Hello LinkedIn fam!

As the year winds down, we’re excited to bring you this special festive edition of our newsletter. It’s packed with the latest updates, key events, and sparkling innovations from Zoho—all designed to keep you informed, inspired, and empowered as we prepare for the year ahead!

Here’s what’s in store this month:

• Breakthrough advancements in productivity, collaboration, and digital transformation
• Expert insights and industry trends to help you maximize the power of Zoho's solutions
• Exclusive updates to elevate your business as you step into the new year

So, grab your favorite holiday treat, cozy up, and dive into the festive cheer and explore what’s new!

East Africa

Zoho at IDC CIO Summit 2024 in Mauritius: Empowering businesses with accessible AI solutions

We were thrilled to participate in the recent IDC CIO Summit in Mauritius, a premier gathering of technology leaders shaping the future of digital transformation. Representing Zoho, Prem Anand our associate director of strategic growth, delivered an insightful presentation titled Lowering the Hurdle for AI Adoption.

In his session, Prem shared practical strategies for seamlessly integrating AI into business operations, emphasizing Zoho’s commitment to providing accessible, cost-effective AI tools. He highlighted how these tools empower organizations to innovate and thrive in today’s competitive landscape.

The summit provided an excellent platform to engage with CIOs and industry pioneers, fostering valuable exchanges on the challenges and opportunities of AI in modern business. Our participation reinforced Zoho’s mission to bridge the gap between cutting-edge technology and real-world application, ensuring businesses of all sizes can harness AI as a catalyst for growth and efficiency.

Empowering businesses with a Zoho Books workshop in Nairobi

This month, Nairobi hosted an inspiring Zoho Books workshop?to empower small businesses and accountants with cutting-edge financial tools. Attendees received hands-on training in using Zoho Books to simplify accounting and financial management, diving deep into automation for invoice management, expense tracking, and compliance.

The workshop also featured interactive Q&A sessions, offering participants the chance to address real-world challenges and connect with industry peers.

Missed the event? Don’t worry! We have more workshops in the pipeline to help businesses across the region streamline their financial processes and unlock their full potential. Stay tuned for updates, and be sure to join us next time!

Inspiring young talent: The Young Creators Program at Jhub Africa

We recently partnered with Jhub Africa to host the Young Creators Program, a dynamic platform designed to spark creativity and foster digital innovation among aspiring entrepreneurs, developers, and professionals. This inspiring event brought together ambitious young minds to explore how technology can transform ideas into impactful, thriving ventures.

Highlights of the program included engaging workshops on app development, social media management, and financial tools for startups, featuring hands-on training with Zoho Creator.

This initiative underscores our commitment to empowering Africa’s next generation of leaders by providing access to cutting-edge tools, training, and mentorship. By bringing initiatives like the Young Creators Program to institutions of higher learning, we continue to contribute to the region’s growth story—one innovative idea at a time.

Driving digital transformation: KeNIC & Zoho partnership announcement

We’re excited to announce our partnership with the Kenya Network Information Centre (KeNIC)—a strategic collaboration designed to accelerate Kenya’s digital transformation. Through this partnership, businesses registering .ke domains can now access Zoho’s comprehensive suite of over 55 apps, including Zoho One and Zoho Workplace.

These tools empower businesses with automation, real-time data access, and streamlined operations, supporting Kenya’s vision of becoming a digital-first economy and enabling local businesses to thrive in a competitive online landscape.

This initiative offers businesses the confidence to embark on their digital transformation journey with robust tools tailored to virtually every business need.

In addition, Zoho and KeNIC will host training sessions to help businesses unlock the full potential of these tools. By combining local expertise with global innovation, this partnership exemplifies Zoho’s transnational localism strategy—addressing local needs while connecting communities to global opportunities.

West Africa

Zoho headlines first SME Unwind event in collaboration with YellowLyfe

We successfully hosted the first-ever SME Unwind event in partnership with YellowLyfe in Nigeria, strategically timed to coincide with the Black Friday sales period. The event attracted a diverse group of small business owners eager to discover tools that could enhance their operations and drive growth.

At the event, we spotlighted our CRM solution, Bigin by Zoho, designed to help small businesses streamline their processes and improve efficiency from the start. One of the highlights of the event was a pitch competition, where the winner received Zoho for Startups credits, providing valuable support to emerging businesses.

The event not only allowed us to showcase our services but also fostered stronger connections with our existing customers. Overall, SME Unwind underscored the crucial role that innovative solutions play in helping small businesses manage and grow effectively. We are excited to continue supporting the SME community through future initiatives and events.

Global Entrepreneurship Festival in Akure

The Global Entrepreneurship Festival (GEF) recently unfolded in Akure, Nigeria, showcasing three dynamic events centered on innovation, business growth, and collaboration. We were thrilled to actively participate, engaging with entrepreneurs at our booth and helping them explore how Zoho’s solutions could transform and elevate their businesses.

The second day featured insightful discussions during the Global Leadership Forum, highlighting strategies for fostering impactful leadership in a rapidly evolving world. The festival culminated in a vibrant celebration that included a concert, fashion showcase, awards ceremony, and a spirit of collaboration.

Brunch with Zoho in Abuja

The?Brunch with Zoho event in Abuja, Nigeria, held on 14th November 2024, was a tremendous success, marking a significant milestone in our journey to support businesses in the region. The event brought together a distinguished group of professionals, business leaders, and innovators, all eager to explore the transformative potential of Zoho's solutions.

The insightful presentations and interactive sessions were met with enthusiasm, and the networking opportunities proved invaluable, sparking conversations that could lead to impactful collaborations. The vibrant energy in the room underscored a clear message: Abuja is ready for business! This event not only provided a platform to showcase the power of Zoho’s solutions but also reinforced the importance of fostering strong local connections. The high level of engagement and interest demonstrated by attendees signals a bright future for Zoho’s presence in Abuja.

With such a promising start, we’re excited to continue building partnerships and empowering businesses in the region to thrive in the digital age.

Brunch with Zoho, Accra

The Brunch with Zoho event in Accra, Ghana, was a resounding success, exceeding expectations and underscoring the enthusiasm for digital transformation among Ghanaian businesses. Initially planned for around 50 participants, the event welcomed an impressive 69 registered attendees, including 28 online participants and 27 onsite guests. Additionally, we were delighted to host several unregistered attendees, primarily personal assistants to directors, bringing the total number of participants to over 70 individuals.

The strong turnout reflects both the growing interest in Zoho’s comprehensive suite of products and the readiness of Ghanaian businesses to adopt innovative solutions that drive efficiency and growth.

This event provided a valuable platform for networking, learning, and exploring how Zoho’s tools can empower organizations to achieve their goals in today’s digital economy. The overwhelming response reinforces our commitment to supporting Ghanaian enterprises on their journey toward digital transformation.

Transforming Nigerian businesses through Zoho: Insights from Kehinde Ogundare

In this interview, Kehinde Ogundare the country manager of Zoho Nigeria discusses how Zoho's partnership has significantly impacted Nigerian businesses. By providing innovative tools and solutions, Zoho has empowered businesses to streamline operations, enhance productivity, and improve customer engagement. Ogundare emphasizes the role of Zoho’s cloud-based applications in enabling businesses to thrive in an increasingly digital economy.

The interview also highlights Zoho's commitment to supporting local businesses in their digital transformation journeys.

South Africa

Africa Tech Festival 2024: Strengthening connections and building momentum

Africa Tech Festival 2024 marked Zoho's third consecutive participation, and it has become a cornerstone event for us in Africa. This year, we witnessed a significant uptick in engagement, highlighting the increasing recognition of the Zoho brand across the region. The three-day event provided a dynamic platform for fostering connections, enabling us to collaborate with both existing customers and potential clients.

Beyond the networking, the festival also allowed us to showcase how Zoho’s solutions continue to empower businesses in Africa’s fast-evolving digital economy. These interactions not only helped shape our 2025 strategic objectives but also deepened our understanding of the unique needs of businesses in the region.

We’re excited about the valuable relationships formed and are already gearing up for next year’s festival to further our mission of driving innovation and supporting growth in Africa.

Zoho Marketing Bootcamp: A vibrant first edition in South Africa?

The first locally held Zoho Marketing Bootcamp in South Africa was a truly memorable experience, offering the perfect blend of engagement, learning, and collaboration. Held in Johannesburg and Cape Town, this event, organized by Zoho Community , brought together Zoho users, enthusiasts, and marketing professionals eager to deepen their knowledge and explore innovative strategies.

Through interactive sessions, we shared insights, swapped ideas, and delved into practical applications of Zoho’s marketing tools, empowering attendees to take their campaigns to new heights.

This bootcamp also set a strong foundation, with its vibrant discussions and hands-on learning paving the way for future editions to grow even further. We’re thrilled to have connected with such a dynamic community and can’t wait to see the event evolve into an unmissable tradition for marketers across the region!

Product Spotlight

Get real-time insights on the big screen with the SalesIQ TV app

Want to keep your team in the loop with real-time business performance updates? The SalesIQ TV app is here to help! Now available on Apple TV and Android TV, this app gives you live visualizations of your business's key metrics right on the big screen.

Here's what you can expect

Real-time visitor monitoring: Track visitor activity across your website or app with a dynamic map view.

Comprehensive business dashboard: Monitor key KPIs like chat stats, team availability, customer feedback, top departments, and more—all updated every 2 minutes.

Customizable views: Tailor the dashboard to focus on specific departments or metrics that matter most to your team.

Why do you need the SalesIQ TV app?

With a shared view of business data, everyone stays informed, making collaboration and decision-making easier than ever.

Zoho LandingPage

Want to know the best way to convert customers? ?? Impress them with a good landing page!

A well-crafted landing page grabs attention, delivers a clear message, and directs visitors toward taking action.

Zoho LandingPage?is also now a part of the Zoho One suite.

Check out the December updates for Assist, Meeting, Webinar, and Lens

Zoho Assist: Assist Now is officially compatible with Wayland, for enhanced Linux remote support, and introduces peer-to-peer connectivity for more efficient Linux sessions. The new Device Activity option allows easy monitoring of actions on unattended devices, and we've expanded support for remote command prompts to include rooted Android smartphones alongside Windows, Mac, and Linux devices. Learn more about all of Assist's recent additions here!

Zoho Meeting: Introducing screen share with audio! Share your entire screen or just the Chrome tab with audio for more engaging presentations. Your audience will now hear the sound just like you do.

Zoho Webinar: Exciting updates in Zoho Webinar: You can now allow attendees to join sessions directly from mobile browsers without requiring the Zoho Webinar app. This feature provides easy access, especially for attendees who may not wish to install additional applications.

We've also introduced on-demand webinars, which will help you provide prerecorded sessions that your audience can access immediately—no need to wait for scheduled sessions. Learn all about Webinar's recent additions here!

Zoho Lens: The new Jira-Lens integration enables seamless AR remote assistance directly from service requests, allowing efficient troubleshooting and ticket updates post-session. Session summaries now also include recordings for easy access, and an improved feedback process ensures a streamlined and interactive user experience. Read more about the latest additions to Lens here!

Case study

How Ethnos transformed their cybersecurity operations with Zoho One

Ethnos, a leading cybersecurity firm in Africa, has revolutionized its operations and data management with the power of Zoho’s suite of tools. By integrating Zoho CRM, Projects, Desk, and Analytics, Ethnos has elevated customer relationships, optimized HR processes, and enhanced data accessibility, all through a seamless and adaptive interface.

This inspiring journey highlights how Zoho One empowers Ethnos to streamline lead tracking, improve efficiency, and drive business growth while safeguarding digital environments. Discover how intelligent software integration fuels innovation and operational excellence in the cybersecurity industry.

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The Zoho MEA Team