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By Chinenye Anuforo
Country Head, Zoho Nigeria, Kehinde Ogundare, has urged small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across sub-Saharan Africa to treat digital trust as a strategic priority, warning that rising cyber threats and rapid artificial intelligence (AI) adoption are reshaping business risk.
In an article titled; “Why Digital Trust Matters: Secure, Responsible AI for African SMEs,” Ogundare argued that security concerns for SMEs have evolved far beyond physical safeguards such as metal grilles and alarm systems. According to him, the most significant risks facing businesses today are digital, largely invisible, and accelerating in sophistication.
He noted that AI has quietly become embedded in everyday business operations, from chatbots responding to customers after hours to systems forecasting inventory needs and flagging unusual financial transactions. While these tools offer efficiency and growth opportunities, he cautioned that their integration must be handled responsibly.
Referencing the recent Safer Internet Day observance on February 10, themed “Smart tech, safe choices,” Ogundare said the conversation should now move from whether SMEs should adopt AI to how they can deploy it securely and ethically.
He highlighted the scale of the global and regional cyber threat landscape. Globally, cybercrime is projected to cost $10.5 trillion this year, driven in part by generative AI and increasingly sophisticated social engineering tactics.
Within Africa, the statistics are equally concerning. Nigerian businesses face an average of 3,759 cyberattacks weekly, while more than 70 per cent of South African SMEs report experiencing at least one attempted cyberattack. Kenya recorded 2.54 billion cyber threat incidents in the first quarter of 2025 alone. Overall, he said, Africa loses approximately 10 per cent of its GDP annually to cyberattacks.
“These are not isolated incidents,” Ogundare wrote, stressing that ransomware attacks now have the capacity to paralyse entire operations, while other breaches quietly siphon sensitive customer data over extended periods.
Beyond external threats, he identified internal digital fragmentation as a hidden vulnerability for SMEs. In their early growth stages, many businesses adopt multiple affordable software tools to remain agile. Over time, however, this often results in disconnected applications with varying security standards and privacy policies.
He cited the 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report by IBM, which found that companies with highly fragmented security environments experienced average breach costs of $4.88 million.
Fragmented systems, he explained, create blind spots. Each additional data transfer between applications increases exposure, inconsistent security protocols complicate governance, and limited visibility makes it harder to detect anomalies early.
“In practical terms, complexity increases risk,” he stated.
Ogundare also pointed to shifting consumer expectations around data protection. According to findings referenced from KPMG, approximately 70 per cent of adults do not trust companies to use AI responsibly, while 81 per cent expect misuse. In addition, studies show that 71 per cent of consumers would stop doing business with a company that mishandles their data.
He described trust as a form of currency in the digital economy, warning that a single data breach can undo years of brand-building.
“When customers share their payment details or purchase history, they extend trust. How businesses handle that trust, especially when AI processes their data, determines whether those customers return,” he noted.
Ogundare advocated for privacy-first AI design, where data protection, transparency and ethical considerations are embedded from the outset. This includes collecting only necessary data, storing it securely, being transparent about how AI-driven decisions are made, and ensuring algorithms do not compromise customer privacy.
For SMEs, he suggested practical steps such as choosing inventory software where predictive AI operates on internal data without external exposure, and customer service platforms that analyse patterns without revealing individual records.
To address both security and operational challenges, Ogundare recommended that SMEs move toward unified, secure cloud platforms rather than relying on a patchwork of standalone tools.
He explained that integrated platforms allow core functions such as inventory management, order processing and financial reporting to operate within a single security framework. This reduces security gaps, shrinks the attack surface, and ensures consistent data governance.
Beyond risk reduction, unified systems can also improve operational efficiency by reducing administrative friction and enabling secure collaboration without heavy infrastructure costs.
Ogundare concluded that as African SMEs seek to harness AI for growth, digital trust must underpin every technology decision.
