Zoho to Roll Out In-House AI Model in African Markets by 2025

AFRICAN BUSINESS AND ECONOMYAugust 11, 2025 at 1:18 PM UTC

TLDR

Zoho will launch its proprietary large language model, Zia LLM, to customers in Kenya, Nigeria, and other African markets
It comes in three sizes—1.3 billion, 2.6 billion, and 7 billion parameters—to balance performance with computing needs
Zia LLM processes data solely on Zoho’s servers, addressing concerns about sending sensitive business information to third-party AI providers

Zoho will launch its proprietary large language model, Zia LLM, to customers in Kenya, Nigeria, and other African markets by the end of 2025, integrating it across its enterprise software suite at no extra cost.

The model, built entirely in-house and based on NVIDIA’s AI platform, is tuned for Zoho-specific enterprise tasks such as data extraction, summarisation, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and code generation. It comes in three sizes—1.3 billion, 2.6 billion, and 7 billion parameters—to balance performance with computing needs. Larger versions are planned for release in late 2025.

Zia LLM processes data solely on Zoho’s servers, addressing concerns about sending sensitive business information to third-party AI providers. The company has not confirmed which African applications will feature the model first.

Zoho’s revenues in Kenya rose 39% in 2024 from a year earlier. The company began embedding AI in its tools in 2017, and this rollout signals a deeper integration of AI into CRM, analytics, finance, and HR products for African enterprises.

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Key Takeaways

Zoho’s move to deploy Zia LLM in African markets reflects a growing demand for enterprise-grade AI that meets both cost and compliance needs. Many African companies face budget constraints and operate under strict data protection regimes, making fully in-house AI solutions more appealing than those relying on global cloud providers. By offering the technology without additional licensing fees, Zoho could lower adoption barriers for businesses in sectors like finance, retail, and logistics, where AI can automate customer support, streamline analytics, and improve decision-making. The approach also aligns with broader trends in AI localisation, where models are trained and fine-tuned for specific business processes rather than generic use. If widely adopted, Zia LLM could push SaaS competitors to adopt similar pricing and deployment strategies in emerging markets, intensifying competition and accelerating AI’s integration into Africa’s enterprise technology landscape.

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Technology

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Kenya

Nigeria