Nigeria Tax Act 2025: How the New 4% Development Levy Impacts Nigeria's Manufacturers

Nigeria Tax Act 2025: How the New 4% Development Levy Impacts Manufacturers

Leave a Comment / Tax Acts 2026, Compliance Audits, Excellium Blog / Damilola Babatunde

Nigeria’s manufacturing sector has long been challenged by a complex and fragmented tax landscape, where navigating numerous, overlapping levies often diverted critical resources from core business activities and innovation. To address these systemic inefficiencies and foster a more transparent business environment, the Nigerian Tax Reform Acts of 2025 were signed into law on June 26, 2025. This comprehensive overhaul, with most key provisions, including the new levy, taking effect from January 1, 2026, introduces a strategic simplification to corporate taxation. A major element is the 4% Consolidated Development Levy, designed to streamline compliance for manufacturers.  What is the Consolidated Development Levy? The Consolidated Development Levy is a new fiscal measure mandated by the Nigeria Tax Act (NTA) 2025, which imposes a flat rate of 4% on the assessable profits of qualifying companies under the Section 59 of the NTA. “Assessable profits” refer to the taxable profits of a company before certain deductions like capital allowances and trading losses are made. The core intent of this levy is not to introduce an additional tax burden but to simplify and unify several pre-existing, often confusing, sector-specific taxes into a single, predictable charge. This unified approach is expected to significantly reduce administrative overhead and enhance the predictability of tax obligations for manufacturers across the country. What taxes does the new levy replace? The 4% Consolidated Development Levy effectively sweeps away and replaces four distinct federal levies that previously applied to various companies, including manufacturers. This consolidation eliminates the complexity of calculating and remitting multiple taxes to different agencies. The replaced levies include: Tertiary Education Tax (TET): Previously a 3% charge on assessable profits. This tax funded universities and polytechnics across Nigeria. It was the largest of the four sectoral taxes National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Levy: Formerly charged at 1% of the profits before tax. The National Information Technology Development Agency Levy supported Nigeria’s digital transformation and IT infrastructure development. National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) Levy: A much smaller levy, previously at 0.25%. It funded the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, supporting research and innovation. Police Trust Fund (PTF) Levy: Previously applied at a rate of 0.005%. It was the smallest levy, which helped fund police infrastructure and welfare programs. Total under old system: 4.255% of assessable profits Total under new system: 4% Development Levy Instead of managing these four separate compliance requirements, manufacturers now have a single, clear obligation, simplifying their operational processes and aligning tax filings with their Companies Income Tax (CIT) timelines.  How manufacturers benefit from this consolidation The introduction of the Consolidated Development Levy provides several strategic advantages for Nigeria’s manufacturing sector: Streamlined and Simplified Compliance: The primary benefit is a significant reduction in the administrative burden associated with tax compliance. By replacing four separate tax calculations and filing processes with one, finance and accounting teams can focus on strategic financial planning rather than manual, fragmented reporting. Increased Financial Predictability: The uniform 4% rate on assessable profits provides greater certainty in financial forecasting, which is crucial for manufacturers making long-term capital investments in machinery and infrastructure. Exemption for Small Businesses: The legislation offers substantial relief for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Small companies are defined as those with an annual turnover not exceeding NGN100 million and total fixed assets below NGN250 million. These entities are explicitly exempt from the new Development Levy, along with Corporate Income Tax (CIT) and Capital Gains Tax (CGT). This exemption encourages formalization and growth without immediate tax pressure. Targeted Funding for National Priorities: The revenue generated from this consolidated levy is earmarked to fund critical national institutions and initiatives, including education, student loans, technology development, and security. The Bottom Line The Development Levy represents Nigeria’s effort to simplify its tax system. For manufacturers who were already paying all four previous levies, this change brings slight savings and significant administrative relief. The real benefit is simplification: one levy, one form, one deadline, filed with your CIT return. However, the overall tax reform package includes trade-offs. While you’re saving on the Development Levy and compliance costs, you’re facing higher Capital Gains Tax and adjusted capital allowances. The key is to understand exactly how these changes affect your specific business situation and plan accordingly.

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How to Integrate Zoho CRM with WhatsApp Business in 2025

Leave a Comment / Zoho, Customer Experience, Excellium Blog / Paul Adeosun

Let’s be honest: your customers aren’t emailing you anymore. They’re on WhatsApp Business. That’s where they ask questions, place orders, complain, compliment, and yes—that’s where they expect you to be too. And if you’re not there, or if you’re there but responding like it’s still 2015? They’re moving on to your competitor who gets it. Think about the last time you tried to reach a business. Did you send a formal email and wait 24-48 hours for a response? Or did you fire off a quick WhatsApp message, expecting an answer within minutes? Exactly. Your customers expect that same speed from you. Here’s the challenge: managing hundreds of WhatsApp conversations while keeping your business data organized, tracking leads, and ensuring nothing falls through the cracks can be exhausting. You’ve got customer conversations happening on WhatsApp, business data living in Zoho CRM, and your team doing mental gymnastics trying to keep everything connected. Zoho CRM WhatsApp integration is a game-changer that’s helping businesses across Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and beyond streamline customer communication and automate messaging without the chaos. When Two Titans Join Forces: WhatsApp Business API Meets Zoho CRM Imagine if every WhatsApp conversation with a potential customer automatically created a lead in your Zoho CRM. Imagine if your sales team could see a customer’s entire purchase history, previous conversations, and support tickets right within WhatsApp. Imagine closing deals without ever leaving the chat window. That’s not imagination anymore. That’s what Zoho WhatsApp Business integration delivers. Here’s what happens when these platforms work together: Your customer sends a WhatsApp message at midnight: “I’m interested in your services. Can you send me a quote?” What used to happen: The message sits there until someone checks the business WhatsApp during office hours. By then, your customer has already contacted two of your competitors. What happens now with WhatsApp CRM integration: The inquiry instantly creates a lead in Zoho CRM, triggers an automated WhatsApp message acknowledging the inquiry, assigns the lead to the right sales representative, and even sends a notification to your team. When your sales rep opens WhatsApp the next morning, they can see the customer’s previous interactions, purchase history, and preferences all without switching apps. The result? You respond faster, more personally, and with context. Your customer feels valued. Your sales team works smarter, not harder How WhatsApp Business API Integration Works with Zoho You don’t need to be a tech wizard to make this happen. The integration connects Zoho’s powerful business management tools like Zoho CRM, Zoho Desk, Zoho SalesIQ—with WhatsApp Business API, creating a seamless flow of information and automated workflows. When a customer messages you on WhatsApp, the integration can automatically capture their details, create or update their contact record in Zoho CRM, log the conversation, set reminders for follow-ups, trigger marketing automation workflows, and even send personalized responses based on their customer journey. Your team gets a unified inbox where they can manage WhatsApp chats alongside emails, social media messages, and phone calls. No more app-switching. No more lost messages. No more wondering which team member spoke to which customer about what. Beyond Customer Service: It Streamlines Business Communication Across All Teams This WhatsApp integration transforms every department: Sales Teams convert more leads by responding instantly with automated messaging, tracking every customer touchpoint in the CRM, and closing deals directly in WhatsApp with payment links. Marketing Teams send targeted WhatsApp campaigns that feel personal, not spammy, automate customer engagement, and track what actually drives conversions. Operations automate order confirmations, delivery updates, and appointment reminders, reducing support load while improving customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. Leadership gets visibility into customer interactions at scale, identifying trends and making data-driven decisions about customer experience and business growth. The Nigerian Business Advantage Here’s something special: Nigerian businesses aren’t late adopters playing catch-up. We’re ahead of the curve. Your customers are already on WhatsApp Business and comfortable with it. You’re not asking them to change behavior or download new apps—you’re simply meeting them where they are, with enterprise-grade CRM tools and marketing automation behind you. What This Integration Means for Your Bottom Line Response times drop by 70-80%, improving customer engagement. Lead conversion rates increase by 30% or more because you’re engaging prospects while their interest is hot with automated lead management. Customer retention improves because people feel heard and valued through personalized messaging. Your team’s productivity soars because they’re not wasting time hunting for customer information across multiple systems. The ROI is measurable, trackable, and usually evident within the first quarter of implementing WhatsApp Business integration. Getting Started with Zoho WhatsApp Integration The WhatsApp Business API integration can be set up in days, not months. You don’t need to replace existing systems or retrain your entire team. It works alongside what you’re already doing, just making everything smoother and smarter. At Excellium, we handle the technical setup, customize workflows to match your needs, configure your Zoho CRM integration, train your team on best practices, and provide ongoing support. You focus on your business; we make the technology work for you. The Future Is Conversational Commerce The future of business isn’t about transactions; it’s about conversations and customer engagement. It’s about building customer relationships one message at a time, being present and responsive at scale through automated messaging and seamless communication. The businesses that will thrive aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets—they’re the ones that make every customer interaction count. Zoho CRM and WhatsApp Business integration positions your business for the conversational commerce era with real, measurable results through streamlined workflows and enhanced customer experience. Your team can work smarter with automated lead management. Your customers can receive service that makes them rave about your business. The question isn’t whether you should integrate WhatsApp Business API with Zoho CRM—it’s how much longer can you afford to wait?

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The Role of Zoho Mail and Workplace in Transforming SMEs

Leave a Comment / Excellium Blog / Paul Adeosun

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of many economies, providing employment, driving innovation, and fostering economic growth. However, in today’s competitive and technology-driven world, SMEs face significant challenges: streamlining operations, managing costs, improving communication, and adopting digital tools to remain competitive. This is where Zoho Mail and Zoho Workplace come into play. These tools offer SMEs a comprehensive, cost-effective solution to enhance productivity, improve collaboration, and embrace digital transformation. In this blog, we’ll explore how Zoho Mail and Zoho Workspace are revolutionizing SMEs, highlighting pricing, features, and the ease of signing up. Why Digital Transformation Matters for SMEs Digital transformation is no longer optional for SMEs; it’s a necessity. Whether streamlining communication, securely storing data, or managing workflows, businesses must adopt tools that save time and resources. For SMEs, Zoho Workplace provides a unified platform to manage communication, collaboration, and productivity without breaking the bank. With features tailored to small businesses, Zoho empowers SMEs to focus on what they do best: growing their business. Zoho Mail: A Professional Email Solution for SMEs Zoho Mail is more than just an email platform, it’s a professional communication tool designed to meet the unique needs of SMEs. Key Features of Zoho Mail for SMEs are; Establishing credibility is crucial for SMEs. With Zoho Mail, businesses can create professional email addresses using their domain name (e.g., yourname@yourbusiness.com). Zoho Mail’s powerful spam filters ensure your inbox remains clean and secure, protecting your business from phishing attacks and unwanted emails. Shared mailboxes, task assignments, and integrated calendar features make team collaboration seamless. SMEs often operate on the go. Zoho Mail’s mobile apps ensure you stay connected to your business anytime, anywhere. Zoho Workplace: Empowering SMEs Through Collaboration Zoho Workplace is a suite of tools that bring teams together to collaborate, manage projects, and stay productive all within a secure cloud environment. Key Features of Zoho Workspace for SMEs are; Store, share, and collaborate on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in real time. A powerful word processor that allows teams to create and edit documents together. An intuitive spreadsheet tool that helps SMEs manage data efficiently. Instant messaging and video conferencing to keep teams connected. With Zoho Drive, SMEs can securely store and access their files from anywhere, reducing reliance on physical storage systems. Pricing: Affordable Solutions for SMEs One of Zoho’s biggest advantages is its affordability, making it ideal for SMEs operating on tight budgets. These plans provide unmatched value, allowing SMEs to access enterprise-grade tools without the hefty price tag. How to Sign Up for Zoho Mail and Workplace Getting started with Zoho is simple, even for SMEs with limited technical expertise. Payment Methods for Zoho Mail and Workplace Zoho makes it easy and convenient for SMEs in Nigeria to subscribe to Zoho Mail and Workspace by offering flexible payment options. With these methods, businesses can choose what works best for their needs while ensuring secure and seamless transactions. Available Payment Methods include; Steps to Complete Payment Currency Support Zoho supports payments in multiple currencies, including the Nigerian Naira (NGN), to simplify transactions and eliminate conversion challenges. With secure payment options and 24/7 support, Zoho ensures Nigerian SMEs can subscribe to Zoho Mail and Workspace effortlessly, enabling them to focus on growing their businesses. Integrations: Zoho Ecosystem for SMEs One of the standout benefits of using Zoho Mail and Workspace is their seamless integration with other Zoho applications. This ecosystem approach ensures SMEs have access to a range of tools that work together effortlessly. Key Integrations for SMEs are; Manage your customer relationships directly from your Zoho Workspace, streamlining communication and tracking leads effectively. Collaborate on projects, assign tasks, and monitor progress within your Workspace dashboard. Simplify accounting and invoicing by integrating Zoho Books with Workspace for a comprehensive financial overview. Zoho Workspace also integrates with popular third-party apps like Slack, Google Drive, and Dropbox, offering flexibility for SMEs. Conclusion Zoho Mail and Workplace are game-changers for SMEs, providing the tools needed to compete in today’s fast-paced business world. From professional email solutions to powerful collaboration tools, Zoho ensures that small and medium-sized enterprises can operate efficiently, scale seamlessly, and embrace digital transformation. With affordable pricing, robust features, and unmatched support, there’s no better time for SMEs to join the Zoho ecosystem.

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