The Nation Newspaper

Tag: technology

  • Hospitality: Leveraging on technology

    The hospitality business, especially in the hotel segment, is on an upward swing. This is because of the ease with which people can now book and access hotels right from th corner of their homes. Besides, with the emphasis now on generating revenue from other sources apart from oil, the sector offers good avenue for investment and also good return on investment.

    Now, with an increased awareness on information technology, and the ease with which businesses can be done online, the sector has been further opened up.

    One of the early entreprenuers that have keyed into this regime is Mark Essien, Founder, Hotels.ng. With 6000 hotels in the fold and counting, Essien has been experiencing phenomenal growth and kicking butt.  Today, he  is  a market leader in emerging hospitality industry. Essien is taking  advantage of travellers  increasing  frustration with hotel booking.

    For him, after a careful research , he discovered that there was no Nigerian hotel online. Thus, in 2012, he launhcedhis online portal for the industry players.

    Initially, when  they  started in Calabar the first few months, it was self funded. Later, they got  an  investor who  gave them $75,000. Subsequently, they  got  another $100,000.The first product actually focused on a single sector – hotels – and the platform took off from there.

    According  to him, Hotels.ng has   transformed the hospitality industry and  is  seen  as the biggest online hotel booking portal for Nigeria.

    With ongoing development of computer reservation systems, the online hotel  booking  has  taken  a natural leap,  with   every part of the booking process coming   closer to the user.

    Launching  hotels.ng, Essien  put  travellers in control of their travel plans, contributing  to making  online booking one of biggest revenue streams for the hotel and travel industry.

    His background  as a software  developer  has  assisted  him  to build  a portal that  creates a smooth booking process that satisfies users and supports business objectives. There are many different ways that a user will arrive at a hotel site. hotels.ng is just one of many travel aggregators that have become almost ubiquitous with the booking process. The booking portal attention to detail has already created a much more organised and trustworthy portfolio of the great hotels on offer.

    Eeach local hotel is thoroughly vetted by staff to ensure that all details are accurate and to ensure the quality of the hotel’s services.

    He  noted  that  there is a growing hotel industry in Nigeria  and the company is   to be part of the growth and their success.

    Essien has   always wanted to become a mechanical engineer. Along the way, he  diverted into software, and not wanting to let his  education waste, also added mechanical to it by studying robotics. Before founding Hotels.ng,he  was   a software developer. At a certain point, he   used to be the #2 rated coder on rentacoder.com . he   made money through contract jobs.

    To  Mark,the  journey has been long, hard and exciting. To build it to the point it is today, he has had to be willing to think outside the box, work around every constraint, and work with a team that supported itself through up and down.

    Currently, the company  has  about 30 people, and based off the offers they  have received, the  portal is  worth between $5m and $10m.

    He  sourced  the seed fund of N5million to startup hotels.ng from my sister and my mother. They have always been his  key investors for any idea he  did not have enough cash to do.

    Along  the line,he   started chatting with Jason Njoku (Founder ofSpark) on Facebook, and he told me about his SPARK fund. They invested a total of $225,000. which is the money that has taken the  company  this far.

    Following a solid consolidation phase, the  company  is  commencing  an International expansion phase that  would result  in booking possibilities for Ghana.

    The hotel market requires that prices and availability be continually adjusted to reflect daily variances. The majority of bookings through the system come from guests requiring hotel rooms, 1-2 days ahead of the booking date. Direct contact can be made directly with the hotel and confirmation may be received within minutes of the request being made.

    Hotels.ng  breadth of hotel supply have contributed to its phenomenal growth and success. There is no doubt that Mark  Essien, the  founder  of  hotels.ng  has been a success story for mobile hotel bookings. He  has   seen phenomenal growth in recent years with  watchers describing  the journey of the company as “remarkable. Right  now, the  portal  has  contributed to over 60 per cent  of total hotel booking transactions with  mobile becoming the key booking platform . The portal allow clients to book hotel rooms online, provide comprehensive help and support to our clients and make the hotel booking process smooth and easy.

    He has an active role as the Managing Director of the organization, overseeing operations. The company employs 30 full-time staff, 5 contract staff and more than 70 ad-hoc staff, with an estimated 6000 hotels on the site.

    According  to him, when  he  launched the company,he  ran it for about a year before raising capital.

    He   knew it was a great business because of how excited the customers were in finding out that a site like theirs  existed. The first 100 customers came because they  were the first people to list the number of hotels they  listed in Nigeria. So people looking for hotels would stumble across Hotels.ng and make a booking from there. He  is  happy  they  have  explored  opportunity   within  a sector that  was  ignored.However, building the traction so quickly in such a busy space has been a huge challenge and an amazing achievement for the whole team.

    The  hotel portal  is not Essien’s first business.He   started his  first business when he was 19 years old. He had just left Nigeria to go study in Germany, and saw a computer there for the first time. He  instantly decided  he  would build a piece of software, and started working on a competitor to Napster. It was called Gnumm. One year later, he  sold it to Bertelsmann.  He did not raise any capital for this – just worked out of his  room.

    They  intends to remain within the industry. The success of the  product is all about being about  to  expand the  listing  of  hotels from  400 to 6000. They were able  to achieve  this some really smart technology that looks at, hotel location and personalised data to make the right decision every time. Getting that right, and making it fast, has had the biggest impact on the customer experience.

    The strategy is that they have  learned then not be afraid to make bold changes when things aren’t going to plan. They  have  made  mistakes but learn from them rather than dwell on them.

  • ‘Science and technology key to development’

    A professor of Chemistry, Olu Aboluwoye, has urged African countries to develop science and technology in solving their problems, rather than relying on foreign technologies, which, he said, are exploitative.

    He spoke at the third Scientific Conference of the Faculty of Applied Sciences of the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic in Owo (RUGIPO), Ondo State.

    He presented a paper titled: Science and technology: A veritable tool for a sustainable national development in the 21st century.

    The conference, which held at the Millennium Auditorium of the institution, was attended by participants from tertiary institutions in the Southwest.

    The don lamented that Third World countries remained backward because of over reliance on foreign technologies, which, according to him, are expensive, exploitative and unsuitable to their local needs.

    He berated the government and elite for undermining research and development of technologies by spending billions on importation of ammunition to contain conflicts.

    Aboluwoye said Third World countries must look inward and start internalising and nurturing technologies that would in tuned with their local needs.

    “To do this, African governments must have a strong political will and institutional support frameworks that will enable them promote development of local scientific and technological research,” he said.

    Earlier, the Rector, Prof Igbekele Ajibefun, said the institution would embark on research to aid nation-building. The Rector, who was represented by his deputy, Mr Boniface Ologunagba, urged the participants to come up with practicable ideas that would put the country on the track of development, given the role played by science and technology in nation building.

    The Dean of the Faculty, Mr Gani Ogundaisi, said the conference would afford participants an opportunity to engage in a robust discourse on topical national issues that would help shape the future of the country and enhance their teaching.

    Some of the participants described the event as timely.

  • ‘Nigeria needs more technology incubation centres’

    ‘Nigeria needs more technology incubation centres’

    Chief Simeon Eyisi, Managing Director/Chief Executive, SIMS Nigeria Limited, an indigenous technology incubation company whose technical partnership agreement with Samsung has enabled it to produce Samsung-branded products n the last decade, speaks on his foray in business, prospects and challenges so far in this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde

    Like all startups, SIMS was a child of necessity. But it has since grown like an acorn into a big oak after almost three decades.

    It all started in one shop on Ogui Road in Enugu in 1987.

    Recalling those early trying days, Eyisi said: “I worked for a company, Ibeanu Brothers and Company Limited, for several years. I started as a salesman and rose through the ranks to become Branch Marketing Officer, Supervisor and then Manager. At that time in the 70s and 80s, it was one of the biggest distributors of electronics in the South East. I learnt the virtue of patience in salesmanship from working with Ibeanu Brothers. I also learnt how to organise and run a business there. So you could say I gained a lot of experience in the course of working for that company. Then at some point I decided it was time to go into business for myself and begin the process of building a new enterprise. That desire gave rise to SIMS Nigeria Limited in 1987.

    “In fact, I started it in one shop in Enugu at No.2 Ogui Road, capital of Enugu State. It was not easy, but gradually I built the business into what it is today. I started with selling electronics, and later went into importation. Then we expanded and set up office in Lagos. From that stage we went into manufacturing, which is where we are now. That is why I have always believed that any young person, who is focused, determined and patient can achieve what I have achieved today.”

    He speaks further: “From selling electronics we bought from other distributors, I eventually got in touch with Samsung about 23 years ago. When the business grew to the point where I could start importing directly from the Korean headquarters of Samsung I got support from my bank. The bank helped me a lot. That was how the business grew to the point that it became one of the largest distributors of Samsung electronics and home appliances in Nigeria. We have expanded into the West African market. In fact our vision is to be the No. 1 electronics and home appliances marketing company in West and Central Africa. All the new models of Samsung line up of television sets we have are all digital-broadcast compliant. It might interest you to know that Samsung was the first to begin production of digital TV sets. Usually, we launch a new product line towards the end of the third quarter of the year. We will showcase our new product lines at the trade fair.”

    As with most enterprises operating in Nigeria, SIMS is bedevilled by the challenges in the environment, particularly the key issue of unfavourable fiscal policies of the federal government and exorbitant cost of funds from the banks. For instance, the Customs duties regime does not favour local assembly of products from CKD (completely knocked down) parts as against fully built units imported in ready to install format.

    Chief among the challenge faced by concerns like SIMS has been the perennial problem of high cost of energy cause by the near absence of reliable public electricity supply, with result that factory is compelled to run on diesel generators 24 hours daily to be able to meet production. Currently, the duty on CKDs is between 5-10 %.

    Eyisi argues that if the government could increase this substantially, it would make more sense and encourage more local production of goods being imported at present. The immediate benefit if this, he says, will be increase in employment opportunities that produce the downstream benefit of reducing social problems associated with unemployment.

    The payoff line in an advert published by Eskom, the South African electricity giant in Business-In-Africa magazine says: “With energy, anything is possible.” In every sense, this reflects the sentiments of Eyisi, who like most other entrepreneurs in Lagos, applaud the efforts of the Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola to build more independent power projects across the state and the administration’s determination to create industrial clusters that would source power from such power projects.

    Eyisi earnestly hopes the Lagos State government would similarly build an IPP dedicated to Amuwo Odofin industrial cluster.

    “If that happens, industrial manufacturing in Lagos will go nuclear,” Eyisi says, a broad smile breaking out on his face.

    Recalling how this whole idea of building a technology hub started, Eyisi said he was persuaded that the Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola’s administration friendly disposition could be to the advantage of businesses, SIMS Nigeria Limited took a bold step in 2003 to sign a special agreement with Samsung, the globally-acclaimed Korean giant manufacturer of electronics and household appliances, to begin assembling in Nigeria the same products of the company, which it had been importing and distributing in the country and other parts of West Africa.

    With the dotted lines signed, the company began building the factory located in Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos in 2005, after securing a special facility from its bank.

    Last year, the factory, after a very successful test run, went into full scale production, and today churns out air-conditioners, freezers and refrigerators, gas cookers and LED television sets.

    Interestingly, the TV sets fully meet the requirements for digital reception under the new global convention for digital broadcasts, which will go into force across the world in 2015.

    Expectedly, the Managing Director of the company was filled with joy when the factory was completed and commissioned.

    Speaking in an interview with The Nation, he explained why his company established the factory and also chose Lagos as the location, saying: “We decided to go into manufacturing primarily for two reasons. First, it was in response to the call by the federal government for greater industrialisation of the country, the yearning and aspiration for growth in GDP and creation of more employment opportunities that would in turn reduce social problems often associated with unemployment. Through manufacturing you create more job opportunities directly and indirectly through the people who form part of the distribution chain and market the products manufactured. Of course you recognise that being able to manufacture in Nigeria many of the things we currently import will reduce the amount of foreign exchange we expend on imported finished goods.

    ‘Besides, we can also re-export a substantial part of what we produce here to other African countries to earn foreign exchange. In essence, local production from CKD (completely knocked down) parts can help solve the problem of unemployment. China has been able to provide employment to its huge population because it has a massive manufacturing capability, and that is why it does contract manufacturing and exports to other countries.”

    Thankfully, he says, “As of today, SIMS directly employs a little over 600 people. It is a notable small-to-medium scale enterprise, and it is one of the largest employers in that category. Currently, we produce Samsung air-conditioners, freezers, refrigerators, gas cookers and LED TV sets on various assembly lines at our factory located in Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos. The factory commenced operations on February 24, 2005, but the technical partnership agreement with Samsung was signed in 2003. Initially, the production capacity was 100 units per day, but today it has increased to over 500 units per day.”

    Further reiterating his company’s commitment towards buiding its technology hub, Eyisi said: “We decided to site the factory in Lagos because of several factors. In the first place, Lagos is the centre of economic activities in the country and there are vital collateral benefits that we would enjoy by having the factory in Lagos. For instance, it will be easier for our Korean technical partners to come in and offer assistance to our engineering team whenever the need arises.

    “Besides, it will be easier for us to export to West and Central African markets, which we are targeting in line with our vision to become the Number One Marketer of Electronics and Home Appliances in Nigeria, West Africa and Central Africa.”

    Thus this positive disposition towards Lagos made good music in the ears of the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mrs. Sola Oworu. The happiness of the Lagos State government over the company’s vote of confidence in Lagos and its decision to contribute to the internally generated revenue of the state through payment of corporate and payroll tax as well as local government levies, was demonstrated when she was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Wale Raji, at the formal opening ceremony of the first Samsung Premium Brandshop built by SIMS Nigeria Limited in the highbrow Lekki axis of the megacity.

    In his brief remarks before cutting the tape to declare the two-storey building open, Raji had said: “I want to commend the managing director and chief executive of SIMS Nigeria Limited for his entrepreneurial initiative that led to establishment of the company and the building of the Samsung Premium Brandshop in Lekki. The Lagos State is also very pleased that SIMS also chose to site its factory in Lagos in the Amuwo Odofin area. Through this, SIMS has created employment in the Lagos State. We shall strive at all times to provide an environment that is conducive for businesses like SIMS to thrive in Lagos State.”

  • ‘Our success is driven by innovation, technology’

    ‘Our success is driven by innovation, technology’

    The Vice President, Transsion Holdings, makers of Tecno mobile, Arif Chowdhurry, in this interview with TONIA ‘DIYAN, speaks on the success story of the company in a short period, what it has to offer and how the company has been able to meet the needs of Africans, among others.

    What has brought Tecno this far?

    Globally, all successful brands share one key element in their success story – and that is hard work. Tecno Mobile is not left out in this universal trend of unique brand development, high quality product offerings, affordability and improvement.

    That is why at Tecno mobile, we offer mobile voice and data technologies, which include smart phones, tablets and feature phones range, which are today, enjoying huge popularity and adoption in Africa.

    How have you been able to meet the needs of the African people, particularly Nigerians?

    The African market has always had a huge purchasing potential and can build a strong affinity for value driven products only of brands who understand the peculiar needs of the African market space and Tecno mobile is one of such brands that understand Africa’s unique infrastructural challenges, consumer behaviour and therefore has tailored our products to meet this significant market.

    One unique innovation from Tecno Mobile is the dual SIM card mobile phone product. What informed this innovative idea?

    Tecno introduced the Dual-SIM technology to the African market at price-friendly rates and Africa took notice.

    In 2006, when Tecno mobile entered the African Mobile original equipment manufacturer (OEMs) space there were existing top global brands already operating within the African space from the likes of Nokia, Samsung, Alcatel, Motorola, to name a few. However, none of these global brands factored in the Power challenges and the fairly nascent telecos infrastructural development across the continent in their design of mobile cell products. Many of the mobile voice operators at the time had infrastructure that struggled to deliver quality voice connections across a wide range, thus, the advent of Tecno Mobile Dual-SIM products.

    Tecno mobile Dual-SIM philosophy for Africa is hinged on the fact that telecommunications infrastructure for land lines service is under developed and over burdened and cannot meet Africa’s over whelming need for voice service and the fact that many African consumers demand a mobile device that can hold more than one SIM card.

    Tecno Mobile has come of age; what do you have to say?

    Tecno believe in Africa and have achieved success alongside Africa. Today, Africa is home to some of the world’s fastest growing economies, averaging an annual growth rate of more than 5.0 per cent, with a growing middle class with taste for high quality experience. Tecno mobile has grown with Africa having consolidated on its position as a major mobile manufacturer company, once again delivering unique insight-based mobile technology service to Africa’s growing urban dwellers. The company currently has moved its Research and development (R&D) headquarters to Shanghai, a strong team of French designers in a drive to deliver contemporary, high functional, competitive and stylish products to the African market. Africa is our sole market and we will treat her right.

    The successful and of course worthy launch of the Phantom Z smart phone; the first high-end and the only Octa-core processor smart phone in the world by Tecno mobile Nigeria goes to show Tecno mobile’s level of aspirations and global competitiveness.

    Let’s meet the Tecno phantom family available

    Tecno phantom A+, R7 and Phantom Z epitomize affordability, performance, speed, style and lifestyle. These high quality smart phones have clearly raised the bar in terms of value-for-money for any global mobile phone brand that wishes to compete in the Africa space at both the mid and high-end of offerings. Others in the Tecno phantom family include; Tecno phantom Pad (N9), Tecno Phantom Mini Pad (P9), Tecno (S9) Pad,  Tecno Phantom A3, A+, A, A2, F7 and F8 among others.

    What more should people expect from Tecno mobile?

    Tecno mobile will continue to build lasting value in the Africa communities by driving initiatives such as the Local apps development challenge in partnership with sister company, Afmobi.

    Share your success story with us.

    Capitalising on the opportunity the Africa market provides; the market was willing to welcome Tecno Mobile when Nokia and Samsung were dominating the market. Tecno, as a  mobile manufacturer, offered affordability, originality and aspiration in it range of products and customer base began to swell. Therefore, by 2009, Tecno Mobile had become an accepted and robust competitor with low-end mobile devices that offer value at affordable rates.

    What advice do you have for consumers?

    Now, as we know, not all price-friendly and affordable phones in the market are good, most are counterfeit phones and are dangerous, some may explode, some have high radiation, they are not approved by SON, they cause serious damage to the user both short and long term use. The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) is having a serious crack down on this, but most importantly, Nigerians have to safe guard their health and future.

  • ‘How technology boosts enterprise’

    ‘How technology boosts enterprise’

    Bankole Cardoso, 25, is the Founder/Managing Director, Easy Taxi, Nigeria. He studied Business Management and Accounting at Boston College in United States of America (USA), and later acquired a three-and-a-half year working experience with a technology outfit, Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC), a consulting accounting firm in New York city, among others. In this interview with JOKE KUJENYA he speaks on his passion for entrepreneurial venture which led him to establish a thriving e-tech operated Easy Taxi business in July 2013. 

    Easy Taxi in Nigeria?

    After about twelve years out of Nigeria, what I wanted to do was move back home and start a business to contribute my quota to the economic growth of my fatherland.

    I came home eventually in July 2013 and almost immediately launched Easy Taxi, an online service aimed at hailing a taxi from the comfort of one’s home or office via a mobile device or computer. Before then, I had been exposed to a similar technology like this in USA which I used all the time then. So, I thought it was an idea that could work here especially with the spate of unemployment in the country.

    Prior to that however, I occasionally come home at Christmas. That was when I grasped a little feelings of how things were happening here and I saw the opportunity to fill a gap. I also have friends that told me how hard it was for them to get jobs. Also, when I watched the news on Channels TV via Youtube and saw the sorry pictures painted, I became seriously home sick. I felt if I could return home and try to do something worthwhile.

    Using E-taxi?

    Technology these days make life a lot more easier. People that patronise our services all have the smart phone application on either their Androids, iPhones, PC or laptops. Our programmes are easy to use and free to download. Our duty is to connect passengers to drivers in a very simple way. We use GPS to connect our clients to the closest driver.

    When a passenger request from, let’s say, Lekki, we radio on our GPS to call one of the drivers on our services within a ten minutes’ range. Before the driver arrives, we would send the passenger the driver’s name, the exact car, license plate number with which our clients can use to trace the taxi on a map. You’ll see him as he connects respective streets leading to your location. The passenger sees his or her to be driver’s face and the cars they drive as they come towards them. We help our customers with prompt ways of getting a taxi instead of standing for long by the roadside waving taxis or going through your phones to call their very busy taxi guy.

    Reception in Nigeria’s security-sensitive clime?

    Precisely, security is the main thing that we are trying to sell. This idea was birth because I had been exposed to this kind of technology out of the country. And previously when I visited Nigeria, I saw that people would caution me about using taxis because of safety.

    So, when we were packaging this idea, we decided, in our little way, to use technology to bring safety to bear. When we sign up any driver on our platform, we take all his information, take them through a screening process, check his background, driver license, car registration, license, plate number and insurance documents. We go to their parks and associations to verify and know everything about them before they belong to our taxi bank. So, our customers can actually see the safety upfront. In the case of companies using our services, they would have and see information of the drivers we are sending to them.

    Guarding against falsified information?

    So far, we have not encountered such. And it would really be tough for any of them to attempt such. We rely more on the original government documents and license they provide. We don’t do testing for them. We leave that for the government to do. We also don’t have a link with the government yet. But we make sure we do background checking on them. However, we are confident that what all of our drivers present to us so far have been real. We haven’t had any issue because they all belong to one taxi associations. We don’t approach drivers on the streets. We only go to them through their associations. If a driver is not part of an association, he can’t be a Easy Taxi driver.

    Staff strength and managing the business?

    It has been very daunting. So far, we have about 600 drivers across the country, only in Lagos and Abuja. But it has been capital intensive to manage them. We have the technology in the office because Easy Taxi is a global team. We actually started in Brazil about three years.

    We are having our anniversary soon in some African countries. We only started the Nigeria version last year. So, it’s in Brazil that we have the IT, where they make all the updates to the application, maintain the Apps and ascertain that all the technology are functioning well.

    What we have on the ground here is to recruit the drivers, publicise, promote the business and give the people of Nigeria an E-Taxi experience. Right now in Lagos and Abuja, we have about fifteen members of staff, two customers service engagement teams, an Admin HR officer and our drivers’ recruit team to keep them online and show them how to use our services and as well tell them about the new media. We call them customer engagement because we want them to show Lagosians and Abuja people that this is E-Taxi.

    Making profit?

    We are a start-up business, just a year old. Of course, not many start-ups can clearly articulate their profits in one year. But we are a very low cost business because we don’t own the cars. And we don’t deal with tyres or petrol. We make our money, as in, on every ride that we give a driver, we take roughly about ten percent in commissions.

    Five year projections?

    We want to be the number one E-taxi service in Nigeria and in Africa. By the end of the year, we want to launch in two or three more cities in Nigeria, eyeing places like Ibadan, Port Harcourt and Benin.

    Dealing with sceptism?

    At first, people were like this cannot work in Nigeria. And then, as they kept having the experience, they’ve been like ‘wow’. Now, our customers are the ones telling their friends to try and use Easy Taxi and that is very powerful statement for us.

    On timeliness?

    We don’t disappoint for the most part. This is Lagos where the taxi culture have not been quite amazing. So, I can’t say they don’t disappoint, but it is very infrequent. You know, the infrastructure, the roads, sometimes, cars break down and so on, but with E-Taxi, we have good cars so they don’t break down.

    We don’t see none of those issues.

    Most of our drivers use the official Lagos yellow taxis. And we use the cleaner ones that are not rickety. We also have unpainted car hires because that is what majority of our customers prefer because there are places that the painted taxis are not allowed to enter.

    Fighting unemploy-ment?

    I would say that we are providing jobs and it is clear. With a staff strength of about fifteen people, it is tough in Nigeria. As a young person, I found that rate of youth unemployment is about sixty percent. And that is a really bad record for Nigeria and indeed, for any country. So, I feel that it is up to us, youth in Nigeria, to create employment for ourselves. That is what I try to do with Easy Taxi by creating employment directly. Today, we have about six hundred drivers who are given jobs on a daily basis.

    Funding and breaking-in?

    Major nag is a lot of people, while in the university, are looking for jobs in big companies like Shell, Chevron, ExonMobil and all that. But there are many opportunities outside such places. The main thing is about showing possible financiers your professional strength. You try to highlight what you have done, that you are hard working and you can really do more. What we see now is that while the jobs are available, it is how to match people to the right jobs that is a problem. So then, one thing is selling your strengths, another is projecting that you do have ideas and you can try things. I always tell young entrepreneurs like myself that we should strive, especially as so many things are technology-based and one can just start selling things even from your Blackberry.

    Business potential of E-Taxi?

    I would say it’s a scalable business. I say that because we can effectively run the business across  Nigeria with our staff strength of fifteen from Lagos. All we need to do in Abuja is to recruit trusted drivers and let customers know that we are there and also maintain our relationship with drivers.

    That way, we don’t need a customer service team because we can do it from anywhere. Once we have the information from Abuja, Ibadan, Port Harcourt and other cities, the team in Lagos will distribute the details as needed to other areas.

     

  • IBM chief advises banks on technology, security

    IBM chief advises banks on technology, security

    COLLINS NWEZE

    The Vice President, IBM Tivoli Storage, Software Group, Steve Wojtowecz has advised banks to adopt efficient and quality banking software despite high cost of such acquisition to achieve enhanced banking security.

    Wojtowecz, who spoke on the benefits of the Edge 2014 conference recently held in Las Vergas, United States, said the event was meant to show clients and associates, IBM’s technological inputs in today’s world, that banks should ensure that people responsible for data applications are highly efficient as that remains one of the first steps to banking security.

    He said the cost for acquiring software will be upset in a matter of months from efficiency, arguing that securing efficient and seamless software remains the best option for banks, telecommunication firms and other operators remains the best way to maximise output.

    “Efficient banking software is costly but data storage is also very important. Buying software is relatively inexpensive compared to the benefit one gets,” he said.

    He said banks should have several layers of security and authentication so that should one layer fail, the other can continue.

    The IBM chief said fraud prevention and detection can be for different reasons. “There are many mechanisms a bank can implement to limit fraud, because preventing it is very difficult. Limiting fraud is the best case option at the moment. What they are trying to do is that there is authentication, taking the multifunctional applications to where you can. Anything from fingerprints, to extremely strong password could be helpful,” he said.

    “I think banks change their applications because as the business changes, the software have to change to support the users. So, it might be because of the person working in the bank, or the bank customer,” Wojtowecz said.

    He explained that a change of application can also be to support a bank employee, the consumer of the commercial bank, financial institutions for real estate, or stock exchange. “So, when companies change their applications, they do so for the user to meet a particular need. Despite the reason for such action, I know it is very hard to throw away an application,” he said.

    Wojtowecz said when developing banking software, it is important to think of certain things. Firstly, the application must have the capacity to put a data at the right place, and continuously as the data is generated.

    He said companies can sometimes create a level of software, with much smaller software, depending on the level of virtualisation needed. “Sometimes you have software-defined storage, sometimes you have software-defined environment, and software-defined networks,” he said.

    According to him, there is need to understand the language software speak even as they also have to interconnect. He said the banks always want software with higher utilisation which is also costly.

  • Trailing the leaders

    Trailing the leaders

    How can we ever catch up with the advanced countries?  Is the Vision 2020, the hope that Nigeria would be named among the top 20 economies of the world by Year 2020 really achievable at this point?

    If we really hope that the Vision 2020 will not go the way of Vision 2000 and the other development plans then we should be concerned about what is happening today.  Already, there are many reasons that show we may likely not get there: We have not been able to deploy local solutions to problems such as poor power supply, dilapidated infrastructure, inadequate housing, waste management, inadequate food and insecurity.

    Two pupils who represented Nigeria at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in the United States, recently, understood how far Nigeria is from this vision when they returned home recently.  They saw that though we are only six years away from the deadline, our journey is farther than what we can cover in that period.

    When Jeffery Jude and Glory Ibanga of Air Force Comprehensive School, Uyo saw the projects their peers from other countries presented at the competition, their Nonapiece, a multi-purpose furniture item which can perform nine different functions, paled in comparison.  Their invention won second place in the 2014 National Festival of School Sciences (NAFESS) competition earlier this year.

    However, when they travelled to the U.S., they saw the youngsters they competed with on the world stage in future had produced futuristic devices using technology.  Jeffery concluded thus: Nigeria is nowhere to be found in the league of technologically-developed nations.  He suggested that the government should invest in revamping the laboratories in schools so that learning can be more practical.

    What else can the youth tell our leaders?  They are asking for opportunities to learn.  They are asking to be prepared and empowered for the challenges ahead.  In six years, Jeffery and Glory will be in their early 20s, and hopefully, in the university.  What kind of institutions will they learn in?  Will their schools be shut for months because of strike?  Will their laboratories be with filled with obsolete equipment?  Will they be forced to postpone laboratory sessions because there is no power?  Will they be told to write alternative to practical because there are no equipment to test their skills in the workshops?  These are the questions that need to be addressed now.  It is what we do now that will determine how the future will be for Jeffery and other youngsters. If they are not well trained today, they will not be able to take care of us tomorrow.

    Let us remember that while we are trying to meet the Vision 2020 mark (if indeed we are trying), the countries currently among the top 20 are not napping.  We should not expect to wake up in six years time and find ourselves among them.  We may wake up and find we are still many many spots behind – perhaps not far from where we are now.

    Presently, we are not among the top 100 of the highly competitive countries though Nigeria was declared the largest economy in Africa only last month.  If it is really true, because the common man on the street does not believe the economy is healthy, then there may be light at the end of our tunnel.  It means, we must really begin to live up to our potential to be the true giants of Africa.

    Let us check corruption and waste by plugging the loopholes through which government officials and civil servants fritter away public funds.  Let us invest that money in equipping our schools and laboratories, training our teachers, and creating an environment for innovative learning.  When we begin to do this, then we can say we have joined the Vision 2020 race.  However, if we are only talking about it now, and it has not become as fervent a passion as engulfed the United States of America to launch the first man on the moon in the 60s, then we are only dreaming and would be in for a rude shock when we wake up in the Year 2020.

  • Sharing IT platform to survive

    Sharing IT platform to survive

    For information and technology (IT) experts, it is a concept that best suits a workplace and they are not shy to introduce it. Their belief is that a shared platform will boost a company’s growth. Under the concept, firms allow their IT infrastructure to be shared by various departments/workers to reduce operational costs. The method will improve work and foster growth, writes AKINOLA AJIBADE.

    Shared platform is a concept that is gaining acceptance among companies globally. The idea ensures that an information and technology (IT) platform is shared by various departments and workers in a company. The aim is to reduce the cost of operations, engender competition and promote efficiency.

    Developed in Europe and the United States in the 90s, it has become the most sought- after concept. It has assisted companies in keeping and managing the flow of information or data among various departments and workers.

    Also, it enables organisations to co-ordinate the activities of various units  through the use of IT infrastructure, such as computers and servers.

    In bigger corporations, heads of department are linked electronically to speed up operations. There, they store information or data in a server, from where they are picked and distributed when the need arises, with minimal stress.

    The concept has helped companies in increasing the work-rate of certain categories of workers to stimulate growth.

    Before this period, companies adopted measures to improve the performance of their workers, and bring about the much-needed growth. They organised human development workshops, exposed their workers to latest information and technology communication (ICT) facilities, and provided offshore training to enhance their workers skills.

    Though the measures have succeeded in boosting performance, they have not been able to address the cost of operation. No wonder companies are eager to adopt the idea of a ‘shared platform’ to speed up activities and further engender growth. They include banks, insurance firms, maritime agencies, manufacturing companies, and oil and gas firms.

    For instance, banks in 2005 acquired a Flexcube software to ensure seamless integration of their activities. Through this, they have been coordinating their programmes to ensure good profitability. One major benefit is that the software allows banks to manage their branches, as well as provide workers with the opportunity to distribute data among themselves.

    Recently, the National Association of Microfinance Banks (NAMB), Lagos Chapter, embraced the shared platform to stimulate growth. The association partnered with Encore International Limited to provide a single platform for the over 200 microfinance banks operating in Lagos. Encore International is an IT firm based in India. The firm produces software that integrates the activities of companies for growth.

    Former NAMB Chairman, the late Olufemi Babajide, said the adoption of a shared platform for the banks was meant to stimulate the growth of the workers and the banks. He said the banks would be able to reduce the cost of production, when they share a single IT platform together.

    He said the banks spent a lot of money to install IT facilities for their operations, adding that the idea of a shared platform would improve the performance of the workers.

    He said: “What we do is to install IT equipment individually. On the average, it costs each microfinance bank a minimum of N5 million to put in place robust information and technology software for operations. By robust software, I’ m talking about a software that would help the banks to render returns, and reduce the mental and physical stress that accompanied manual rendition of accounts. Before now, each of the banks spent N15 million to install robust software for operations. What we are saying now is that we want all the banks to share a single platform and improve efficiency.”

    He said Encore International would, henceforth, provide a single platform to coordinate the activities of the banks.

    He said with a single platform in place, the banks would be able to concentrate on their core businesses, and further stimulate growth.

    “There is no economic sense in a bank installing software for as much as N10 million, in addition to annual subscription of N2  million. But with the adoption of a shared platform concept, it would be easier for the banks to have a centralised and improved method of coordinating their activities. Also, the banks will no longer pay heavily for such facilities. May be each bank will now be paying N100,000 per annum to the IT firm. This will bring about uniformity in our reporting patterns,” he added.

    According to him, the idea will bring about an efficient workforce and subsequently reduce the cost of operations to rock -bottom level.

    The concept, he said, is market driven, arguing that it would create jobs for marketers in the long run.

    Chairman, Gold Microfinance Bank Limited, Mr Lanre Abiola, said the banks are bearing the huge cost of installing and maintaining the IT facilities together. He said poor power supply has affected the operations of the facilities, adding that the banks sometimes battle with network problems. He said it is either the servers are down or the facilities are not working well.

    The development, he said, has affected the performance of the workers, and the banks in particular.

    The Chief Executive Officer, New Horizons Computer Training Centre, Mr Tim Akano, said shared platform is gaining prominence in the country. Akano said the need to maximise profits made companies to embrace the idea.

    “An average employer is interested in cutting cost as much as possible. He is interested in service delivery. He wants the best from his workers. It is a case of the fewer the merrier. Many companies have been able to increase their work process, by embracing the concept of a shared platform,” he said.

    He said companies achieve a lot by training their workers on how to exchange data through electronic means.

    Akano urged companies to acquaint themselves with IT facilities to get the best from them, adding that the idea of a shared platform is crucial to the growth of an organisation.

    “Remember, we are in an IT age. The world has gone digital. Individuals and companies are not ready to waste time. I think this informed the decision of many organisations to embrace the idea of a shared platform. Through this, they are carrying out a lot of activities together at a reduced cost,” he said.

     

     

  • New technology would have prevented NIS recruitment deaths

    New technology would have prevented NIS recruitment deaths

    Regrettably Job seekers in Nigeria died over the weekend trying to secure appointment with the Nigerian Immigration Service.

    This did not have to happen!

    Where there are high levels of unemployment it is to be expected that the demand for available vacancies will far outweigh supply of jobs, hence the large turnout for the exercise.

    As long as we are unable to cater for the teeming graduates seeking work, not to talk of those who are underemployed, we would continue to have a high turnout as witnessed.

    However this did not have to happen.

    Technological advancement has brought about solutions to deal with large number of candidates seeking few jobs.

    It was reported that over 500,000 candidates applied for the exercise.

    The first step is to short list those candidate who meet the recruitment criteria which would have been pre determined by the recruiting organisation.

    Apparently the entire candidates were invited to attend a form of screen at various centres across Nigeria.

    A short listing exercise would have been screened out those who fail to meet the criteria. Only those who meet the requirement advance to the next stage of the selection process.

    There are competent organisations in Nigeria who could have offered this solution.

    Each candidate can sit the initial verification exercise at the comfort of their home using their computer or at designated Test  Centres.

    Where recruiting organisation has concerns about the authenticity of the candidate responding to the initial verification, there are also solutions available to validate the initial screening, which may further reduce the number of applicants.

    At the end of the two stage process described above, the recruiting organisation would have a manageable number and failing that, further assessment could be carried out using Assessment Centres before commencing to the interview stages.

    Several private sector organisations and multinationals have successfully adopted this approach. A typical recruitment exercise by Shell Nigeria receives no less than half a million responses and they   manage the recruitment process effectively using online recruitment solutions.

    It is time we take advantage of technology to manage our recruitment and avoid what I call avoidable accidents.

    It is not rocket science to predict the NIS exercise was an accident waiting to happen.

    Other government agencies need to take note to avoid a repeat of this incident.

    It need not happen and we pray it does not happen again.

    May the souls of the departed rest in peace.

    Shola Ajani  is Group CEO, Human Capital Asset Management Group

  • WACL invests in new technology

    WACL invests in new technology

    •Opens Lekki showroom 

    West African Ceramics Limited (WACL) would soon launch a first-of-its kind technology that would enable it deliver more customised designs and shapes.

    Speaking at the opening of the Lekki showroom of the company in Lagos, general manager, West African Ceramics Limited, Bhaskar Rao, said the company was committed to the high-stake investment as a demonstration of its desire to satisfy the needs of Nigerians for world-class quality and designs.

    He noted that the Lekki showroom was partly a response to the challenge customers contend with when ordering products from the Ajaokuta fac-tory, Kogi State.

    According to him, the showroom will not only provide customers, particularly architects, with the opportunity to make informed decision on their purchase of porcelain, floor, wall and roofing tiles but also affords the company to showcase its innovations in designs and quality to Lagosians who are characteriSed with exotic and aesthetic taste for finishing.

    Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Architects, Lagos chapter, Ladipo Lewis, commended WACL for opening the new showroom.

    According to him, the new showroom will be an interactive centre for the company, clients and building professionals such architects and developers to collaborate.

    He added that opening a showroom in Lagos is an advantage building professionals should leverage on to deliver on designs to clients.

    He urged members of the institute and builders to visit the showroom as well as the company’s website for useful information that will help in their design work.

    “This is, indeed, an interaction point for all of us. Everybody knows that the availability of quality products for finishing any building project is crucial to the successful execution and completion of the project. We need to take advantage of this showroom to help us avoid scam and falling victims of fake products in the market. With an established place like this, you can make your order and go to work with rest of mind,” Lewis said.

    He urged the management of the company to maintain its best practices, production of high quality products and design patterns to continually serve the needs of architects and reach out to building professionals with information and trends of its products.

    In addition, Abimbola Ajayi, who represented Archiworks Associates, noted that WACL has been awarded on various occasions for innovation, high quality, local content, best practice, and high standards.

    She pointed out that these awards have earned the company the trust and confidence of many architects and developers across the country.