At Computer Village expo 2015, business owners seek government intervention

Business owners in Ikeja Computer Village have asked the Federal Government to come up with policies that will enhance business growth at the nation's largest technology market, in one of the key outcomes of Day One of Computer Village Expo 2015 that opened Tuesday in Lagos. The stakeholders believe that the new administration led by President Buhari should promote policies that will complement the efforts of business owners in Computer Village in order to scale up their business in today's world. This key issue came under the spotlight at the maiden edition of Computer Village Expo 2015, the annual showcase event of the Nigeria technology market holding Tuesday December 8 – Saturday December 12, 2015 at the Haven Event Centre, (near Archbishop Vining Cathedral Church), Oba Akinjobi Way, GRA Ikeja, Lagos. Computer Village Expo 2015 attracted key stakeholders in the ICT sector, media and Corporate Nigeria. [blockquote right="pull-right" cite="Mrs Nike Shittu, CEO of Mojoy Computers"] "General statistics as far as Computer Village is concerned, we use to have a minimum of 10 to 15 thousand units of computer sales on a monthly basis. The issue now is that the place needs what you can call re-branding. Apart from selling computers, I see that place as our own Silicon Village.’’ [/blockquote] [caption id="attachment_33978" align="alignleft" width="640"] Barrister Adebayo Shittu, the new Minister of Communications, speaks at the A4AI Stakeholders Forum held in Lagos Photo by Kolade Akinola/Technology Times[/caption] Mrs Nike Shittu, MD/CEO of Mojoy Computers said at the Computer Village Expo 2015 Thought Leadership Forum that that quick intervention of the Federal Government is needed for the development of the largest market in the country. "We have the population, the wealth, the GDP we have the sources and the resources. We have not even explored anything in the Computer Village. All we need are good policies to ensure the development of the market", she told attendees at the Computer Village Expo 2015 Thought Leadership Forum. According to her, "general statistics as far as Computer Village is concerned, we use to have a minimum of 10 to 15 thousand units of computer sales on a monthly basis. The issue now is that the place needs what you can call re-branding. Apart from selling computers, I see that place as our own Silicon Village.’’ The Mojoy Computers CEO called for collaboration among business owners in the market to attract foreign investors and also attract buyers within and outside the shores of Africa. ‘’Computer Village is crying for help. People come from other African countries to do business with us in the past, but the situation is not the same now. So, let's work together in unity so that Computer Village would be the best ICT cluster in the world", Shittu adds. The Computer Village Expo 2015 Thought Leadership Forum also offered two presidential aspirants for the office of the President of Computers and Allied Products Dealers Association of Nigeria (CAPDAN), the umbrella body of the market, presenting their vision on how they intend to transform the body if given the mandate at their forthcoming elections. [blockquote right="pull-right" cite="Mr Godfrey Iyke Nwosu, President of Phones and Allied Products Dealers Association (PAPDAN) at the Computer Village Expo 2015 Thought Leadership Forum."] "We have more than 20 million phones being sold out from Computer Village monthly and presently the market is not the same as it was before. Sales are dropping day-by-day." [/blockquote] [caption id="attachment_34317" align="alignleft" width="1022"] File photo shows people pass by inside Ikeja Computer Village[/caption] "I will rebrand, ensure security of buyers and sellers, re-orientate business owners and I will make sure Computer Village will be a place where everyone is united, work and live together as one”, added Mrs Shittu, one of the two contenders for CAPDAN Presidency. Her opponent, Mr Ahmed Ojikutu, the Managing Director of Pacific Solution, on his part says the resuscitation of the market is his major vision for overall development of Computer Village. He said that, "according to financial reports, ICT is the second contributor to Nigeria’s GDP and Computer Village as the home of ICT will be of a great help to the country's economic development." According to Ojikutu, "Computer Village is not changing because when you do same thing the same way, you get the same result. We need to change to the current world's trends and that the market is not taking advantage of what it has and they need help." According to him, if he eventually emerges as the President of the umbrella association of Computer Village, the market will become the number one ICT hub in Nigeria and Africa." In his contribution at the Computer Village Expo 2015 Thought Leadership Forum, Mr Iyke Nwosu, President of Phones and Allied Products Dealers Association (PAPDAN) also said that the market has become a major regional hub for the sales and distribution of mobile devices. [caption id="attachment_21912" align="alignleft" width="216"] Iyke Nwosu, President of PAPDAN[/caption] "We have more than 20 million phones being sold out from Computer Village monthly and presently the market is not the same as it was before. Sales are dropping day-by-day", the PAPDAN President told the Computer Village Expo 2015 Thought Leadership Forum. He says the ideas and opportunities from Computer Village Expo 2015 will hopefully bring about a new beginning because it opens a new vista for "for everyone here today to learn more and utilize the knowledge." According to him, "we should look for ways to ensure people from the West Coast could attend an Expo like this with so that it will be easier for them to come here and do business with us." Mr Ejovi Luther Ekakitie, Manager of Corporate Sales at Yudala used the opportunity of the Computer Village Expo 2015 Thought Leadership Forum to announce the upcoming launch of its new value proposition, Yuboss. According to him, Yuboss is an entrepreneurs' platform to empower Nigerians to become bosses of their own. "The aim of Yuboss is to empower 2 million Nigerians to become owners of business and at the end we are looking at a situation where they will own franchises of our experience shops by virtue of their performance", the Yudala executive told the Computer Village Expo 2015 Thought Leadership Forum. He said the new service is go live by January 2016 and is supported by Airtel and Access Bank.

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