HCL Software is expanding its business footprint in Nigeria and across West Africa, leveraging the region’s growing demand for cybersecurity, endpoint management, workplace collaboration and other enterprise technology solutions, according to Chancard Moise Kanga, General Director, Africa, HCL Software.
Kanga, who spoke on the sidelines of the ongoing 2026 GITEX Nigeria in Lagos, said Nigeria has emerged as one of the company’s strongest and most mature markets on the continent, accounting for a significant share of the growth HCL Software has recorded across Africa over the past three years.
Speaking on the company’s operations and strategy in Africa, Kanga described HCL as a technology group with a 50-year history that has evolved from an engineering and hardware business into a global technology and software company.
He said HCL now has about 250,000 employees, generates approximately $16 billion in annual revenue, operates in 140 countries, and maintains more than 50 offices and 19 research and development laboratories worldwide.
According to him, HCL Software’s African operations currently engage with customers and partners across 48 countries, with the company working with governments, banks, financial institutions, retailers and telecommunications companies.
Nigeria emerges as key growth market
Kanga identified Nigeria as a particularly important market for HCL Software, citing the country’s relatively advanced digital ecosystem, large technology talent pool and increasing awareness of cybersecurity and digital transformation challenges.
“We have a strong footprint in Nigeria,” he said, noting that HCL Software’s customers include leading Nigerian financial institutions.
He disclosed that the company’s solutions are deployed by many of Nigeria’s leading banks, particularly for intelligent endpoint management and patch management.
Beyond Nigeria, Kanga said HCL Software also works with several government institutions across West Africa, particularly in areas involving digital workplaces, collaboration, email, project management and data sovereignty.
He attributed the strong growth in Nigeria to the country’s digital maturity compared with several other markets in the region. “Nigeria is a strong and mature market with a lot of people. They understand what the digital challenges are,” he said.
He contrasted Nigeria’s technology ecosystem with markets such as Mali, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, pointing to the country’s growing adoption of cloud services, artificial intelligence applications, locally developed platforms and digital payment systems.
AI embedded across HCL Software portfolio
Kanga said HCL Software’s artificial intelligence strategy is not based primarily on selling standalone AI products, but on embedding AI capabilities across its software portfolio.
He cited HCL AppScan, the company’s application security testing platform, as an example, explaining that AI is being integrated to enhance vulnerability detection, provide greater intelligence and help security teams respond more effectively to emerging threats.
According to him, AI capabilities are increasingly being incorporated into HCL’s existing enterprise software platforms rather than positioned as isolated tools. “AI in our solutions is completely integrated. It is not a separate AI tool,” he said.
Cybersecurity a major Nigerian demand
Kanga identified cybersecurity as one of the strongest areas of demand for HCL Software in Nigeria.
He specifically highlighted BigFix, the company’s endpoint management and security platform, which helps organisations secure servers and endpoints while managing vulnerabilities and software patches.
He said HCL’s broader cybersecurity portfolio provides customers with capabilities spanning vulnerability management, endpoint management, inventory, application security and remediation.
Rather than positioning HCL as dominating the cybersecurity market, Kanga said the company’s strength lies in the breadth of its portfolio, which enables customers to combine different capabilities depending on their requirements.
He explained that while some organisations may deploy HCL solutions for specific functions such as vulnerability inventory or patching, others adopt a broader range of the company’s technologies.
“We are providing all this correction,” he said, stressing that detecting a vulnerability is only part of the cybersecurity process; organisations must also be able to remediate it.
Continuing investment in former IBM software assets
Kanga also highlighted HCL Software’s continued investment in the software assets it acquired from IBM in 2019.
He said the company has continued to develop and enhance the acquired technologies, investing in user experience, enterprise capabilities and additional functionality rather than simply maintaining the products in their original form.
“All of the solutions that we have acquired continue to exist, continue to work, continue to be developed,” he said.
He noted that HCL Software has a portfolio of about 89 software solutions, although adoption varies significantly from one market to another depending on local digital maturity and business priorities.
In Nigeria, he said, demand is particularly strong for intelligent operations, cybersecurity, workplace and customer-experience solutions, including BigFix, AppScan, HCL service-management technologies and HCL Domino.
Local partnerships at centre of West Africa strategy
A significant element of HCL Software’s strategy in Nigeria and West Africa is its reliance on local partners rather than operating exclusively through a direct-sales model.
Kanga said the company works with several partners and distributors across the region, allowing local companies to lead customer engagements while HCL provides technical, engineering and product support where necessary.
“We prefer local partners. Local means knowledge. They are your best ambassadors,” he said.
He explained that HCL can deploy engineers, product managers and other specialists when required, while transferring technical skills to local partners so they can increasingly deliver services themselves. The model, he argued, creates a wider economic impact than a purely direct-sales approach.
According to Kanga, when a local partner sells and deploys HCL software, the partner earns margins and commissions while also creating opportunities for local technical and engineering jobs. “This is economy. We participate in your economy,” he said.
Focus on young African talent
Kanga also pointed to skills development and youth empowerment as an important part of HCL Software’s African strategy, noting that the company is particularly interested in working with young technology talent, helping students and recent graduates develop the skills needed to participate in the digital economy.
He cited initiatives involving students and emerging developers, as well as partnerships with governments aimed at creating certification and training centres.
Kanga explained that certification can help graduates overcome one of the major barriers facing young people entering the technology workforce: the lack of practical experience.
He said HCL has also used government engagements in Africa to create training and certification opportunities, including initiatives designed to build bridges between technology talent in India and African markets.
Nigeria as gateway to wider African growth
For HCL Software, Kanga’s comments suggest that Nigeria is not merely another market in its African portfolio but a strategic growth hub with potential influence beyond its borders.
The company’s emphasis on cybersecurity, AI-enabled enterprise software, digital workplaces and skills development aligns with Nigeria’s rapidly expanding digital economy and the growing technology needs of businesses and government institutions across West Africa.
Kanga said the company’s approach would continue to combine global technology capabilities with local partnerships and talent development, allowing HCL Software to scale its presence while ensuring that more of the economic and technical value generated by its operations remains within African markets.