Low-code AI offers Nigerian mid-market firms a way to tackle tech talent shortages

Nigerian mid-market businesses could reduce their dependence on scarce software developers by adopting low-code artificial intelligence (AI) tools that allow non-technical employees to build and manage business applications, according to Kehinde Ogundare, country head of Zoho Nigeria.

Ogundare said low-code AI platforms could help businesses overcome a persistent shortage of technical talent while increasing digital transformation in an economy where currency depreciation, inflation and rising operating costs continue to put pressure on corporate budgets.

The approach allows employees to build software through visual, drag-and-drop interfaces, which is supported by AI capabilities, without requiring the level of specialised programming expertise traditionally needed to develop applications.

For Nigerian mid-market firms, which often lack the financial resources of multinational corporations but have more complex operational needs than smaller businesses, the technology offers an alternative to competing for expensive and increasingly scarce engineering talent.

“Rather than competing for the same scarce technical talent, it gives the wider team the means to build and maintain what the business needs,” Ogundare said.

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The challenge is significant as skilled technology workers leave Nigeria for overseas opportunities, a trend commonly known as japa. Businesses must continue investing in digital systems even as recruiting and retaining the specialists required to develop those systems becomes more difficult.

Ogundare cited Gartner projections that 70 percent of new enterprise applications would be built using low-code or no-code technologies by 2025, compared with less than 25 percent in 2020. The research firm also projected that 80 percent of low-code users would come from outside information technology departments by 2026.

The shift could allow employees in finance, sales, human resources and operations to develop digital tools based on their understanding of everyday business challenges, rather than relying entirely on dedicated software developers.

The potential benefit extends beyond reducing development costs. Businesses could modify internal applications and automate workflows more quickly as customer demand, operating expenses and market conditions change.

For companies operating in Nigeria’s volatile economic environment, this flexibility could reduce the time and resources required to respond to changing business needs.

It could also help reduce dependence on individual technology specialists whose departure might otherwise disrupt the maintenance or development of critical internal systems.

However, low-code AI does not eliminate the need for technical expertise. Businesses would still need appropriate oversight to manage data security, system integration, access controls and the reliability of applications built by non-technical employees.

Ogundare argued that the broader proposition is that digital capabilities need not remain concentrated within a small technical team.

By enabling employees who understand business operations to participate directly in application development, low-code AI could help Nigerian mid-market firms build internal capabilities and sustain digital transformation despite constraints on talent and capital.