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Research & Development Key to ICT Growth —Madu

Published

15 years ago

June 29, 2009

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Engr, Peter Madu, chief executive officer of ACTI-Tech Limited is a thorough breed engineer in electrical electronics. Within his over 20 years working experience in engineering and computer, he has worked both at home and abroad in key computer companies. He spoke to chris alu in Abuja on industry issues as well as ACTI-Tech.

About ACTI-Tech
We are playing in the information technology space of the economy, but specifically we are very active in the Audio visual sector, computer networking be it Local Area Network (LAN) or Wide Area Network (WAN), also we are partner to Cisco as well as distributor to major information and communications technology manufacturer in Germany, Beyerdynamic.
More so, we provide security surveillance equipment to organizations as well, which includes access control and finger print. Through our partnership with them, we provide the most reliable and efficient electronic field unit that capture biometric information. At ACTI-Tech we render such other services like data, video and voice engineering.
Market strength
There is a large market here, compared to other countries in fact Nigeria is the highest consumer of ICT in the whole of Africa, you are looking at a country of 140 million people and if you talk about the active people that are expose to ICT it should be up to 40 to 60 percent of the population. People consume our products in the villages than anything else. And there is large market and demand for ICT products and most of it is untapped. This creates a business opportunity for organizations in expanding deployment of ICT products and services to the rural people, which will bring about total transformation of life in those areas.
Quality of Audio Visual Network
The audio visual technology is essential product to the growth of ICT and most of the technology has not really penetrated into the Nigerian market, for the past 8 or 9 years, we have been involved in audio visual technology and partnering with Beyerdynamic. We have attend trade shows and exhibition in Germany them include the co-light and sound workshops which is actually focus on audio visual technology manufacturers and users. In Nigeria, it is not properly understood by many people, for instance who are the greatest users of this technology? It is the churches and Muslims. But very few of them know the important of audio visual technology which they used in carrying out their activities. About 90 percent of them patronize fake visual products which are cheap and make unnecessary noise, beside they use untrained hands that use these products.
Unfortunately, there is nobody of government that is regulating the use these substandard products. For example, in some of the churches it is common for one to find a hip of audio speakers some of them work for just one mouth and they pack up.
So, you see that nobody is actually regulating what is coming into the market, and even the noise they pollute in the air is nobodies business. This is as a result of fake visual and audio products, I hope if a body is created to over see what people are buying and what they stand to gain and the impact on the environment it will help to check the proliferation of substandard products.
The market is full of substandard product, which mostly we assume are coming from the far Asian countries, they are cheap but don’t last long and the adverse impact they create on the environment is great.
Security Surveillance equipment
You know, the security aspect of technology is an important issue, first of all, we don’t talk about security garget but what kind of design do you have for your company or organization’s protection from the beginning. The threat to life and property is always there, and the criminals are always modifying ways to beat both the people, police and the garget, one have to be up and doing and the key part of it is how do criminals beat seemingly installations or systems, then you can now talk about who is gathering the data or compelling them.
In UK for instance, once there is a security incident, the first thing they do is to carry out the data investigation collated by the surveillance team and find out why there was such incidence in the first place, and then go back to the garget to know weather the installations did not provide the necessary means to dictate the incident, from there they intensifies efforts of tightening the installations to make it easier for proper policing. For instance, I have a house with close circuit television (CCTV) installations that guide it for me to view movement of persons in and around it, l should also have a recorder, I should also ensure that there is constant power and of course the recorder shouldn’t be expose to public and then somebody comes in and breaks in, if he succeed in breaking in, the question is does the recorder able to capture the image of the person, if this is done they will be able to start investigations from there.
In essence, one need to have a good design system and reliable equipment that will be able to give accurate data and the image of the criminals, apart from that, they leave foot and finger print that can be traced even if it is ten years.
Another thing is that our police don’t have some of the equipment to read and study those data if at all you present such investigation materials to them, they are not in the picture of it, that is why at times government use to bring in expert from abroad to read foot prints and finger print and image of people that committed crime here in Nigeria.
Information and Communications Technology surveillance is one good thing that every body should embrace. Now we are talking about security doors, security poles and so on, take the case of the terrorist act that took place in London, how were they caught? Of course they would have succeeded in exploding the bomb, but for the security cameras and recording systems, which was not accessible to them. If they knew such things were on ground they would have accessed it and erase the pictures completely, but such cameras were very far away from were they operated, beside some cables were on street lights and even walls that nobody knew something like that was there, so the police were able to trace them through this electronic security surveillance and they were caught.
Surveillance in Nigeria
We are also consultant; I think we are capable of installing such security equipment in major cities in the country if we are approached to do so. However, we still have to fall back to infrastructure, we don’t have the cable that can handle that now, for instance if we have cameras in our street we need constant power to operate them. Nonetheless, this can be provided through solar panel or generators to empower this camera and then lay fibre optics to the control room. There is also need for proper policing, so that you don’t wait until a crime is committed before talking action, you see, we still have a very long way to go, we need to have effective designed, and the technical manpower to handle the technology.
These technicians are trained to handle data inspection and collection for the day and how they are transmitted into folders and so on. Like I said, this is a holistic approach and the earlier we tackle them the better for us, because we are witnessing and hearing about pipe line vandal and kidnapping, and there is no way to trace them, is very dangerous to our country. These are what ICT helps to address in developed countries, but here we are very far behind because it is the only method that can be used to fight crime.
Computer Penetration in the Country
Computer business now is a very appreciable and fast growing business unlike the previous years, when people where scare about it, but now almost every body want to be computer literate, and more and more people are realizing that computer is very essentials to man kind. It makes things easier in every business transactions, in fact almost everything we do in life needs computer, like I said Nigeria is very fast in adopting the use of this system in all facets of our life, it is advancing and increasing every now and then. If we look at the case of laptop, I must say that there is a very large market here for laptop.
The use of computer fastened work capacity and make it easier and faster, a job that 20 persons can do in a day can take seconds for a computer to do it, and more perfectly than human labour. So there is a deep awareness and penetration of the use of computers in the country.
Consistent Innovations in the System
The rapid changes only point to the productivity and the prolific nature of the research and development (R&D) of the manufacturers. Come to think about it, why are we not active in the productive aspect of the equipment? This is because; we don’t have any research and development going on anywhere in computer system. Beside, you can not continue with the same system on and on because the next manufacturer will bring some thing new and attractive that would draw consumers, just like in GSM handset product, cars, electronic and even houses or fashion. There must be new innovation meant to attract people to buy. So the changes show how much is done in the R and D department of the computer manufacturers or any other sector. In Europe greater percentage of their budget goes into these areas for modifications, they also partner with schools in this regard; you can not find any university that does not have a link with manufacturers of all the ICT products. The manufacturing companies provide the funding for research going in such schools, in addition to what goes on in their own laboratories, and the outcome is that, one is finding new and better product coming out every time to satisfy end users.
We still have a long way to go because the research and development aspect is not there and is been neglected, our universities lack this research and to a large extend can not bring out something substantive for production. Even when they do the money is not there to support them. Manufactures are suppose to partner with schools, been the engine of development of a country not only in computers but in all industries, so right now we are still at a zero stage in research and development.
Challenges in the Market
The challenges are many, especially here in Nigeria, else where when you set up an initiative, if it is good to the public, the banks comes in, or government itself supports you or partner with you, because you really can’t do any meaningful thing that would serve the public generally on your own without productive partnership. But here, it is different. Banks collect your money and just keep it without any investment and if they give you loan, they hasten to deduct their charges which do not help matters, and then interest rate is very high even if the loans are made available. The only people who can take such loan are people who are into buying and selling for quick turnover. The government also act as catalysts to development through implementing polices that encourage both small and medium player in the market, first of all they should provide you with tax holidays, and also the needed infrastructure so in return you are hiring labour to do the job, for that you are reducing unemployment. In taxation, the tax rates are uniformed both small and big enterprises pay the same amount as tax which is quite unfair. So the challenges are many, we can also talk about the debt issue, how frequent do you get you money as soon as the service are provided.

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Verra Certifies d.light’s Clean Cookstove Projects in Sub-Saharan Africa

Published

18 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Chike Onwuegbuchi

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A series of pioneering projects by d.light, the global provider of transformational household products and affordable finance for low-income households, to distribute 600,000 energy-efficient clean cookstoves in Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda have been officially certified by global verification body Verra.

This certification confirms the d.light projects as trusted, verified sources of high-quality carbon credits in the voluntary carbon markets (VCMs).

The d.light projects aim to simultaneously reduce carbon emissions, tackle indoor air pollution, and reduce deforestation through the sale of highly efficient biomass cookstoves subsidized by the revenues from the sale of carbon credits.

Since their launch in late 2022, the projects have positively impacted more than one million lives and are projected to transform more than three million lives by 2025.

Commenting on the news, Karl Skare, d.light’s Chief Product and Strategy Officer, emphasized the projects’ positive impact, “With these projects, we’re not just addressing environmental concerns but also enhancing quality of life for millions.

“Each project underscores d.light’s commitment to practical, innovative solutions that address both environmental and social challenges, as part of our mission to transform the lives of one billion people by 2030.”

Each year, domestic cooking emissions contribute more than two percent of total global GHG emissions and up to 25 percent of anthropogenic black carbon emissions.

Highly energy-efficient cookstoves solve this problem by reducing biomass use by up to 70 percent compared to traditional cooking methods, cutting emissions of both carbon dioxide and black carbon.

The d.light projects are expected to reduce emissions by up to 12 million tons, contributing to climate change mitigation. These emissions reductions will be registered as carbon credits in the voluntary carbon market.

As well as reducing emissions, clean cookstoves are also a benefit to public health. According to the World Health Organisation, exposure to smoke from cooking fires causes an estimated 3.2 million premature deaths worldwide each year and is still one of the predominant causes of pollution-related illness and death in Africa.

In Uganda, for example, less than one percent of the population has access to clean cooking, household air pollution is the one of the largest risk factors for death and disability.

In addition, switching from traditional three-stone open fires to cleaner, energy-efficient cookstoves significantly reduces deforestation and reduces threats to wildlife and biodiversity caused by habitat loss.

Skare explained, “By subsidizing energy-efficient cookstove costs through carbon financing, d.light makes clean cooking accessible to more households, which in turn leads to healthier living conditions and conserves natural resources as well.

“Our projects in Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda are models of how sustainable investments can yield multiple co-benefits, aligning with global efforts to combat climate change and also promoting socio-economic development.

Skare added, “d.light now has projects certified by both Gold Standard and Verra, the world’s two leading certifiers of carbon credits. Organizations looking for ways to offset their own emissions can be confident that when they purchase carbon credits in d.light’s clean cooking projects in sub-Saharan Africa, they are investing in transformative initiatives that reduce harmful emissions, improve people’s health and quality of life, and help conserve the environment as well.”

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Remedial Health Unveils New App with Digital POS to power operations for Africa’s Neighbourhood Pharmacies

Published

2 weeks ago

April 9, 2024

Chike Onwuegbuchi

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Remedial Health, a health tech startup that develops solutions to make Africas pharmaceutical value chain more efficient has unveiled an updated version of its customer-facing app, designed to function as an operating system for neighbourhood pharmacies and Proprietary Patent Medicine Vendors (PPMVs) across the continent.

The new app comes with a digital POS terminal to support payment collection, virtual business accounts to receive payments, an in-built barcode scanner feature for recording product sales and store-switch functionality to enable the seamless management of multiple stores, as well as inventory management solutions for restocking and easily identifying short-dated products.

The app also offers comprehensive financial reporting to manage profit and loss, and data analytics to inform decision making.

Despite accounting for 85 per cent of retail medicines sold in Africa’s pharmaceutical industry (projected to reach $70 billion market size by 2030), the absence of bespoke digital tools to manage their unique sales and inventory management needs means neighbourhood pharmacies and Proprietary patent Medicine Vendors (PPMVs) are unable to run their operations as effectively and profitably as possible.

At the same time, the reliance on paper-based inventory and sales management processes means manufacturers have limited empirical insights into customer behaviour to inform their decisions on production and distribution.

The new Remedial Health app has been designed specifically for healthcare businesses in Africa, with tailored features that have been designed to support effective decision making to drive business growth and profitability.

Starting in Nigeria, healthcare businesses can access vetted medicines, and manage their sales and inventory on one easy-to-use platform, freeing up time and capacity to effectively serve their customers and communities.

The app also enables Remedial Health to provide consolidated, real-time data on market behaviour to manufacturers for increased profitability and better decision-making across the value chain.

According to Samuel Okwuada, CEO, and co-founder of Remedial Health, “Neighbourhood pharmacies and PPMVs represent the frontline of healthcare delivery in Africa but they have historically been left to their own devices to figure out how to be efficient and profitable.

“Our mission is to empower these essential service providers with the tools they need to manage day-to-day operations and seamlessly run their practices effectively. We spent a lot of time interacting with our customers in the process of delivering this product and the feedback has been great.

“We are excited by the opportunity to get the app into the hands of pharmacies and PPMVs across the country to support their ongoing success, as well as the health and wellbeing of the nation”.

In 2023, Remedial Health sold more than 300 million individual packs of medicines to 7,500 hospitals, neighbourhood pharmacies and PPMVs across all 36 states of Nigeria.

Its customers also improved their profits by 30 per cent on average, with access to more than 8,000 vetted products at the same, or better than, open-air medicine market prices.

They can also access same-day delivery and leverage inventory financing to minimise cash-flow friction for routine orders and maximise sales opportunities.

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EnterpriseNGR Expands Financial Centres to Three African Countries

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2 weeks ago

April 6, 2024

Chike Onwuegbuchi

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EnterpriseNGR has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to set up the Africa Roundtable of Financial Centres – a chapter of the World Alliance of International Financial Centres, in Mauritius, Morocco and Rwanda.

The MoU, signed recently in Mauritius, brought together EnterpriseNGR, the Economic Development Board of Mauritius, Casablanca Finance City Authority, and Rwanda Finance Limited to foster collaboration, promote investment opportunities, and drive sustainable development within the financial centres of its member countries and Africa at large.ort the exchange of best practices between members, enhance visibility regionally

A statement from EnterpriseNGR said that it was joining forces with the three countries to specifically pursue five key objectives.

These objectives include “Jointly strengthen the competitiveness of financial centres in Africa. Collaborate through projects, research papers, communiques, and events to position the African Continent, demonstrate the myriad of investment opportunities, and showcase the role that financial centres play within the African Continent.

“Conduct joint initiatives to supp and internationally, and provide African financial centres with a unified voice regionally and internationally.

“Facilitate the development of dialogue with major financial centres outside the African Continent and build communication channels with African institutions, including regulators and policymakers, as well as African financial services industry associations, and advocate for regulatory coordination amongst members of the Africa Roundtable to promote cross-border investments and financial services.”

Commenting on this collaboration, the Chairperson of the Africa Roundtable, Mr Ken Poonoosamy, said, “The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for the Africa Roundtable of the WAIFC represents a pivotal stride in fostering synergy among financial hubs within the African sphere, with the shared objective of catalysing economic advancement across the continent.”

Ms Obi Ibekwe, the Chief Executive Officer of EnterpriseNGR, represented by the Director of Policy & Public Affairs, Mr Lami Adekola, expressed her excitement over the development.

She said, “It is a historic achievement, and EnterpriseNGR fully endorses the Africa Roundtable of the WAIFC and is excited for the immense opportunities it represents for Nigeria and the African continent. Our collaboration with the four African countries promises to bolster financial competitiveness on the Continent and amplify Africa’s global presence.

We will leverage this Roundtable to unlock the full potential of African financial centres to drive prosperity and development for our nations and beyond.”

EnterpriseNGR became a member of WAIFC in 2023 during the WAIFC board meeting hosted by TheCityUK in London.

The MoU, which was signed recently in Mauritius, brought together EnterpriseNGR, the Economic Development Board of Mauritius, Casablanca Finance City Authority, and Rwanda Finance Limited, to foster collaboration, promote investment opportunities, and drive sustainable development within the financial centres of its member countries.

A statement from EnterpriseNGR said that it was joining forces with the three countries to pursue five key objectives.

According to the group, these objectives include “jointly strengthen the competitiveness of financial centres in Africa. Collaborate through projects, research papers, communiques, and events to position the African continent, demonstrate the myriad of investment opportunities, and showcase the role that financial centres play within the African continent”.

It added that it would enable it to “Conduct joint initiatives to support the exchange of best practices between members, enhance visibility regionally and internationally, and to provide African financial centres with a unified voice regionally and internationally.

Facilitate the development of dialogue with major financial centres outside the African Continent and build communication channels with African institutions, including regulators and policymakers, as well as African financial services industry associations, and advocate for regulatory coordination amongst members of the Africa Roundtable to promote cross-border investments and financial services”.

Commenting on the collaboration, the Chairperson of the Africa Roundtable, Mr Ken Poonoosamy, asserted, “The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for the Africa Roundtable of the WAIFC represents a pivotal stride in fostering synergy among financial hubs within the African sphere, with the shared objective of catalysing economic advancement across the continent.”

Ms Obi Ibekwe, the Chief Executive Officer of EnterpriseNGR, represented by the Director of Policy & Public Affairs, Mr Lami Adekola, expressed her excitement over the development.

She stated, “It is a historic achievement, and EnterpriseNGR fully endorses the Africa Roundtable of the WAIFC and is excited for the immense opportunities it represents for Nigeria and the African continent.

“Our collaboration with the four African countries promises to bolster financial competitiveness on the Continent and amplify Africa’s global presence. We will leverage this Roundtable to unlock the full potential of African financial centres to drive prosperity and development for our nations and beyond.”

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