Telecom
Zoho Announces Fixed Local Pricing for Nigerian Businesses
Zoho Corporation, Global technology company has announced that all its 45+ business software applications are available at a fixed Nigerian Naira (NGN) price.
Andrew Bourne, country manager, Africa, Zoho Corporation, in a statement on Tuesday, said that the move is part of the brand’s global survive-and-serve strategy, seeks to ease the impact of currency fluctuations, especially on small businesses. It also aims to significantly reduce barriers to entry for SMEs who are considering multiple solutions from different global vendors.
He explained that Zoho through the Small Business Emergency Subscription Assistance Program, is also offering its existing, qualifying small business customers a three-month waiver on their subscription fees, adding that a number of additional initiatives and resources have been launched for businesses to help them weather the Covid-19 crisis. This includes Remotely, a remote working toolkit, which is freely available to all businesses until July 1, 2020.
Bourne said, “Serving our local communities and businesses is a key focus for Zoho, and we recognise that the impact of the global Covid-19 pandemic is forcing businesses to adopt digitisation much faster than they might otherwise have.
“Zoho seeks to make this adoption both simple and affordable by providing its world-class software solutions at a fair price, protected from exchange rate fluctuations. Customers are also guaranteed privacy and security of their data,” he added.
Among Zoho’s top-selling products in the country are Zoho One and Zoho Workplace:
Zoho One is an all-in-one integrated suite of 45+ applications that can run an entire business in the cloud. With Zoho One, a company can manage all its functionalities from marketing, sales, and support, to HR, accounting, and back-office operations—making it a true operating system for business. It is available from NGN7800 per employee, per month (billed annually).
Zoho Workplace offers a suite of productivity apps catering to the needs of today’s modern, distributed workforce. It comprises email, file storage, word processor, spreadsheets, presentations, employee intranet, team chat and online video conferencing tools, and is available from NGN780 per user, per month (billed annually).
Zoho conducts free seminars and training sessions aimed specifically at the African market, educating users about how to adopt cloud technology to grow their businesses.
After the success of its first-ever African Zoholics (Zoho’s user conference) event in Johannesburg in September 2019, the company hosted another Zoholics in Cairo, Egypt, in February this year.
Zoho has plans for long-term growth and expansion in Africa, having seen 35% growth in the region in 2019-2020.
These include integration with top payment gateways in the continent, with a view to support local e-businesses and online retailers. It is also expanding its partner footprint in order to support more local businesses.
Zoho’s partners have helped increase Zoho’s reach, contributing to over 55% of Zoho’s overall revenue for the region, Bourne says.
In addition to Nigeria, localised pricing has also been announced for Kenya, South Africa and Egypt, with further opportunities in the pipeline as Zoho plans to scale up its workforce on the continent over the next two years. Zoho currently has employees in South Africa and Nigeria.
Central to Zoho’s offer and ethos is a commitment to data privacy and protection at the highest level. The company is compliant with both GDPR and EU-US Privacy Shield Framework, and seeks to constantly exceed industry-specific compliance standards.
Zoho currently hosts data in 10 data centres across the globe, with plans to open more to meet data protection regulations in different countries. No part of the business, including free products, uses an ad-revenue model.
Technology Company, Globacom, has announced significant reductions in its International Direct Dialing (IDD) rates, making international calls more affordable for its existing and new customers across Nigeria.
Effective August 10, the new rates began applying to over 15 popular international destinations, including United States which will has moved to ₦30 per minute, down from ₦35, United Kingdom is now N350 from ₦400, while India also moved down to ₦40 from N45.
The rates for China, Saudi Arabia and Cameroon however recorded major reduction moving to N75, N300 and ₦700 respectively.
The reduction was also extended to African countries including Benin Republic which goes for ₦650 per minute, Niger Republic ₦750, Ghana ₦500, and Togo ₦650. United Arab Emirates also moved from ₦450 to ₦325, Germany to ₦550, Côte d’Ivoire ₦700, Libya ₦700, while calls to Malawi is now N1,100 from ₦1,200.
Glo aims to provide more value for its customers through these revised rates, encouraging them to make Glo their preferred network for international calls. New IDD bundles will also be introduced, offering frequent international callers even more attractive deals.
Globacom, which remained optimistic that frequent international callers will benefit immensely from the reductions in IDD bundles, enjoined customers to take advantage of the new rates to stay connected with friends and business associates across the globe.
President Bola Tinubu has appointment members into the boards of the Nigerian Communications Commission and the Universal Service Provision Fund, both under the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.
According to the statement, Idris Olorunnimbe was named Chairman of the NCC board, while Dr Aminu Wada will continue as Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, a position he was appointed to in October 2023 and confirmed by the Senate the following month.
Onanuga said Olorunnimbe previously served on the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund Board, where he chaired the Stakeholder and Governance Committee.
Other NCC board members are Abraham Oshidami (Executive Commissioner, Technical Services), Rimini Makama (Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management), Hajia Maryam Bayi, Col Abdulwahab Lawal (retd.), Senator Lekan Mustafa, Chris Okorie, Princess Oforitsenere Emiko, and the board secretary.
The President also approved the board of the USPF, chaired by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, with Olorunnimbe as Vice Chairman.
Other members are Oshidami, Makama, Aliyu Edogi Aliyu (representative of FMCIDE), Joseph B. Faluyi (representative of the Federal Ministry of Finance), Auwal Mohammed (representative of FMBNP), Uzoma Dozie, Peter Bankole, Abayomi Anthony Okanlawon, Gafar Oluwasegun Quadri, and the USPF secretary.
See the statement below:
PRESIDENT TINUBU APPOINTS BOARD MEMBERS FOR NCC AND USPF
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has constituted the boards of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), both agencies under the supervision of the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy.
Idris Olorunnimbe was appointed Chairman of NCC, while Dr Aminu Waida remains its Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer.
President Tinubu appointed Wada to the position in October 2023, and the Senate confirmed the appointment in November 2023.
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Mr. Olorunnimbe previously served on the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) Board, where he chaired the Stakeholder and Governance Committee and drove impactful youth employment and entrepreneurship programmes.
Other members of the board are:
1. Abraham Oshidami – Executive Commissioner, Technical Services
2. Rimini Makama – Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management
3. Hajia Maryam Bayi- Former Director, Human Capital & Administration
4. Col Abdulwahab Lawal (Rtd)
5. Senator Lekan Mustafa
6. Chris Okorie
7. Princess Oforitsenere Emiko
8. Secretary of the Board.
The President also approved the Board of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), with Dr Bosun Tijani, the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, as Chairman.
Other members are :
1. Idris Olorunimbe – Vice Chairman
2. Abraham Oshidami
3. Rimini Makama
4. Aliyu Edogi Aliyu – (Rep FMCIDE)
5. Joseph B Faluyi – (Rep. of Federal Ministry of Finance)
6. Auwal Mohammed – (Rep. of FMBNP)
7. Uzoma Dozie
8. Peter Bankole
9. Abayomi Anthony Okanlawon
10. Gafar Oluwasegun Quadri and the
11. USPF Secretary
The Federal Government established the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) to facilitate the achievement of national policy goals for universal access and service to information and communication technologies (ICTs) in rural, unserved and underserved areas in Nigeria.
Anambra State ICT Agency has restated its commitment to creating a digitally inclusive environment where Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) can access and benefit from government services without barriers.
Speaking when the Anambra State Disability Rights Commission (ADRC), in partnership with the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) programme, paid an advocacy visit to his office, the Managing Director/CEO of the ICT Agency, Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata, underscored the Soludo administration’s determination to make governance work for all, including PWDs.
Mr. Agbata noted that intentional inclusion is a key part of the Governor’s technology-driven vision for the state which is why the commission recently received a wide range of digital tools to enhance their productivity.
“Technology is only truly impactful when it works for everyone, regardless of physical ability.
We are committed to removing digital barriers and making our platforms accessible to all residents of Anambra State,” he said.
CFA also disclosed that the Agency will take immediate steps to appoint a Disability Desk Officer, work with the commission to ensure that all government ICT platforms are designed to meet accessibility standards, and as well as incorporate PWD-friendly features into ongoing upgrades of the SolutionLens feedback platform.
The visit also featured presentations from ADRC’s Head of ICT, Mr. Bonaventure Umeokwonna, who outlined the Commission’s priorities, and RoLAC representatives, who pledged continued support for building capacity and strengthening the policy framework for inclusion.
Mr. Valentine Nwachukwu, Head of Planning, Research and Statistics at the Commission, gave the vote of thanks, commending the ICT Agency’s openness to collaboration.
The Anambra State ICT Agency continues to work closely with ministries, departments, and agencies to deepen digital transformation in the state, ensuring that no segment of society is left behind.
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