Zoho is taking bold steps in integrating generative AI into enterprise software for the African market, with Kenya playing a central role in this journey. While generative AI has only recently surged into global conversations, Zoho’s Zia has been in existence for close to 13 years, making it a long-standing part of the company’s vision for intelligent, context-aware enterprise solutions. The introduction of Zia LLM represents Zoho’s most advanced effort yet to seamlessly embed AI into its extensive suite of services.
Operating in over 150 countries, Zoho continues to expand its footprint across Africa, with Kenya serving as a strategic gateway into East Africa. The company has already rolled out early access to Zia LLM, powered by Nvidia’s AI-accelerated platform, to its customer base. Unlike many AI offerings that rely only on generic datasets, Zoho’s approach leverages both global training data and context-driven insights derived from individual customer data, ensuring relevance, accuracy, and adaptability for local businesses.
In Kenya, several industries have embraced Zoho’s AI-powered tools. From insurance providers using Zia chatbots to improve customer engagement and call centre efficiency, to IT hardware companies leveraging predictive analytics for identifying promising leads, the applications are vast. Consultancies are using Zia to better analyse client needs, while sales and marketing teams rely on its AI agents to score leads and boost revenue. The fintech and HR sectors are also seeing transformative benefits from these integrations.
Zoho’s customer base in Kenya is largely made up of SMEs, accounting for 50–70% of its revenue. However, the fastest adopters of Zia’s AI agents are mid-market companies with between 100–200 employees. These organisations are eager to optimise operations and gain a competitive advantage by integrating advanced AI-driven insights into their daily workflows. Importantly, Zoho is not currently charging an additional fee for access to these agents, though the company acknowledges the significant costs involved in maintaining AI infrastructure.
One of the challenges facing AI adoption globally is data privacy and compliance. For Zoho, customer trust remains a priority. Although Kenyan customer data is stored in the United States, Zoho assures compliance with international and local data protection regulations, including Kenya’s Data Protection Act 2019 and the GDPR. Furthermore, Zoho operates its own data centres globally, avoiding reliance on third-party providers like AWS or Google. While there is currently no data centre in Africa, Zoho has invested in infrastructure that reduces latency for African customers to near-negligible levels.
Looking ahead, Zoho is expected to launch the fully advanced version of Zia LLM in Kenya by the end of the year. This milestone will reinforce its commitment to empowering African enterprises with AI that is not only powerful but also contextualised and secure. By bridging global technology with local relevance, Zoho is helping businesses unlock new opportunities for efficiency, growth, and customer engagement across the continent.