CWG plc names Agada CEO, Okere EVC

ITRealms:

Erstwhile Chief Technology Officer of the Computer Warehouse Group (CWG) Plc, Mr. James Agada, has been promoted to the post of a Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Computer Warehouse Group Plc (CWG), reports ITRealms.

The CWG Board of Directors, ITRealms report disclosed this in a press statement made available to our newsroom, notifying all stakeholders and the general public of changes in the Company’s executive management.

As said by the board, Mr James Agada, formerly the Chief Technology Officer of the Company is now appointed the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the company.

ITRealms reports that Mr Agada is a highly innovative and versatile technology expert who holds both a first class degree and a Master’s Degree in Electronic Engineering, with specialization in Digital Systems, from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He also holds an MBA from the International Graduate School of Management (IESE), Navara, Spain and prides himself with vast experience in consulting, software development, implementation and support. He was pro tem president, Lagos Chapter of the Nigeria Computer Society, and was conferred with the “Titans of Tech Merit Award” in 2013, by Technology Africa. Prior to his appointment as the Company’s MD/CEO, Mr. Agada was responsible for the Company’s research and development unit. He was also the Executive Director overseeing the Company’s former software division, ExpertEdge.

Reacting, Mr Agada expressed appreciation to the Board of Directors of CWG for the confidence reposed on him by way of the latest elevation, asserting “I know the times are difficult and the challenges are many especially given the business performance of the company in the last few years.

Our first task is to return CWG Plc to sustainable profitability this year. We will be taking tough decisions to reduce our costs. We will also be investing to grow profitable business. Maintaining this balance between cost reduction and the needed investment for growth will be the big tasking effort that is facing us. I assure you of my commitment to put in my utmost best to ensure CWG Plc returns to a growing profitable path” he said.

Mr Kunle Ayodeji has also been appointed as the Company’s Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Ayodeji is a seasoned professional with enormous experience in the fields of banking, financial consulting and private equity. Prior to his joining CWG, Mr. Ayodeji was an Investment Principal with Aureos Capital (“Aureos”) and later became an Associate Director with The Abraaj Group (“Abraaj”), where he was instrumental in the investment of over US$45 million of Abraaj Funds. Before joining Aureos in 2007, Mr. Ayodeji was a Senior Consultant with KPMG Nigeria where he was involved with the valuation, due diligence and feasibility studies for various corporations and state governments. He also worked with Triumphbank Plc in Lagos, Nigeria. 

Mr. Ayodeji had been a member of the Board committees of both the Company’s Finance, Audit and Risk Committee (where he was the pioneer Chairman), as well as the General Purpose Committee, before he joined CWG in March, 2015 as Executive Director, Finance and Operations. Mr. Ayodeji holds a B.Sc. in Economics from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria and an MBA from University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.

ITRealms further gathered that Mr. Austin Okere continues as the Executive Vice Chairman of the Company. Mr. Okere who founded the Company, previously filled the role of the Executive Vice Chairman in addition to his role as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Okere is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Columbia Business School (CBS), New York, a Fellow of the Institute of Directors of Nigeria, and also serves on the World Economic Forum Business Council on Innovation and Intrapreneurship, Board of National Competiveness Council of Nigeria, and the Initiative for Global Development (IGD) will continue to contribute enormously to the continuous growth of the Company through his wealth of knowledge in the ICT industry and Entrepreneurial development.

To strengthen the finance function of the Company, Mrs. Obianuju Ejeh-Nnabuife has also been appointed as the Chief Financial Officer. She has enormous experience in the areas of audit, financial and risk advisory, financial control and treasury. She commenced her career at KPMG, where she provided audit and advisory services to banks, discount houses and insurance companies. She was one of the pioneer staff of the finance and treasury division at Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), the African-focused Development Financial Institute. 

She also worked in other sectors such as the Retail and Oil and Gas in both Nigeria and the Middle East. Mrs Ejeh-Nnabuife holds an MBA from Manchester Business School, UK. She also has a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Benin. She is an associate Member of ICAN and a CFA Charterholder.

Announcing the appointments, the Company Secretary, Mr. Okey Ejibe expressed his conviction that the Company’s business performance and standard would continually improve.

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Openmall targets 34m small scale businesses

ITRealms:

The Computer Warehouse Group (CWG), a leading provider of information and communication technology solutions has brought Openmall, an online shopping platform to the International Trade Fair Complex (ITFC) Lagos even as it targets 34 million small scale businesses, ITRealms reports.

The Chief Technology Officer, CWG, James Agada, said the intention of creating the platform is to provide online shop for small scale businesses to display their goods and services for prospective buyers, adding that it is designed to make them grow bigger than what they are currently. He also said that Openmall ensures about 20 per cent discount compared to what is bought in other e-commerce platforms because his company, unlike others, does not have its own products so there is no quest for profit maximization.

Agada who was speaking at the ITFC Openmalllaunch,Thursday, stated that Openmall will enhance job creation, saying that if eachof the 34 million small businesses can  employ one more person in their business, another 34 million jobs willhave been created, adding that the platform will put in value to the Nigerian economy disclosing that if this number of businesses came on board with a minimum of N10, 000 each, it will definitely inject billions of Naira into the nation’s economy.

He said Openmall has neither shop nor product to sell but operates a customer desk that interfaces between the buyers and sellers, saying that Openmall operates an escrow account system in which the platform ensures that both the buyer and seller honour their terms of agreement.

“When the buyer confirms interest in a particular goods or service he pays and the money enters Openmall account, the seller provides the item which is delivered to the buyer before the money is then released to the seller, all these within 24 hours,” Agada said.

He said the group is partnering with market associations, NGOs, market, leaders,currier service companies in case of distant customers and banks, adding that arrangement is on the way to work with the banks to provide soft loans to the small businesses in order to enable them stay on business. He said while the smallest online shop costs N2,500 a month, the biggest size goes for N10,000 a month.

The Business Development Manager, Openmall, Chidi Asiegbu, ITRealms gathered, said the society is changing with emerging technologies and people should embrace the change and advised business owners to own a website through Openmall platform, saying that the platform will remove logistics both on the part of the buyer and the seller, adding that the online shop also offers the seller platform for advertising his goods and services on his own shop which is embedded in Openmall.

Asiegbu informed guests that the company will be in the Complex for another five days to enable interested business owners to come and book their online shops.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE

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CWG, confirmed data centre, cloud services player – EMP boss

ITRealms:

The Chief Executive Officer, Emerging Markets Payments Group (EMP), Mr. Murat Ozulku, has declared the Computer Warehouse Group (CWG) as a reputed brand in data centrea nd cloud services management sector in the country, reports ITRealms.

led a delegation of the Company’s executives on a working visit to the corporate head office of Computer Warehouse Group (CWG) Plc in Lagos. The visit aims at deepening the partnership between both firms.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, CWG Plc, Mr. Austin Okere, observed that in line with the firm’s cloud services under the new CWG2.0 business model, the group operates a data centre for her use, as well as the use of her customers. 

“The Data Centre is a state of the art category 3 facility manned by a complement of experienced and certified technical personnel,” he said.

In addition, he said, CWG adheres strictly to a Standard Operating Procedure and provides a checklist for all clients’ equipment to ensure that they meet best practices including dual power and network sources for all devices. 

“This is further complemented with Managed Services for Level 2 and level 3 technical support. With this facility, we have been able to offer EMP the platform they require to support their customers in Africa and the Middle East with unparalleled payment services” he said.

The visiting Chief Executive Officer, EMP Financial Payments Solutions, Mr. Murat Ozulku, remarked that they aimed at strengthening the relationship between the two companies and build upon mutual aspirations. 

“CWG is a recognized brand in the Data Centre and Cloud Services management sector, and a strong partner that has given us the technical backup we need to support the rapid growth in our clientele across Nigeria,” he said. Stressing that the visit would gives them the unique opportunity to discuss ways of collaboration and expand the range of innovative solutions, to engender fast growing payment industry in Africa and beyond. 

EMP delivers electronic payments services to more than 130 banks and 30,000 merchants across 45 countries. The company is committed to supporting the rapid and secure expansion of the payments industry in these fast growing markets. It is noteworthy that EMP was the first processing company to introduce cutting-edge Europay, Mastercard and Visa chip-and-pin technology to Africa and thus making the African payments industry more secure.

True to her mission of deploying technologies that enable growth, CWG boasts of technology innovation and services that have improved the operations of financial institutions in Nigeria. It will be recalled that CWG recently powered the migration of United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Associated Discount House (ADH) to the Finacle 10 banking solution. 

She also champions the course of financial inclusion in West Africa using her FinEdge Financial Platform to power products such as MTN XaaS in collaboration with MTN for Microfinance banking, and the Diamond Yello Account, in collaboration with Diamond Bank and MTN for Mobile Money applications.

 +ITRealms DSA +Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) +CWG Africa @EMP Nigeria

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Pix: L-R: Mr. James Agada, Group Chief Technology Officer, CWG Plc; Mr. Hany Fawzy, Chief Information Officer, EMP; Mr. Austin Okere, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, CWG Plc; and Mr. Adetoyese Oyerinde, Data Centre Manager, CWG Plc at the corporate head office of CWG Plc, in Lagos

What Kruger’s team told CWG boss

ITRealms:

The Chief Information Officer of Standard Bank, PBB Rest of Africa, Mr. Klaas Kruger has expressed excitement over the relationship the bank has with Computer Warehouse Group (CWG Plc), reports ITRealms.

In his remarks at a recent official visit to CWG headquarters in Lagos, Kruger who led a team from the bank to the occasion, could not hide his delight on the support offered by CWG on the bank’s effort at upgrading its Finacle system.

ITRealms also gathered that Kruger was optimistic of extracting more value from the relationship and especially from the later version of Finacle.

Earlier in his presentation, the Chief Executive Officer of CWG Plc, Mr. Austin Okere used the key ring concept to explain CWG’s solutions offering. The concept denotes the Company’s ability to handhold an institution’s entire Information Technology needs end-to-end to assure the customer of a single responsibility partner across the IT solution stack and thereby significantly minimizing risk.   

According to Okere, CWG Plc has world class IT facilities and capabilities as well as strong relationships with global technology brands and esteemed clientele spanning over two decades, and is poised to replicate the unique value Pan-African wide to meet the growing requirements of her global customers, who want a consistent service level across their Africa operations.

“These three factors—Facility, Capability and Relationship have given us an edge in providing IT services and support in various industries in our countries of operation especially Telecom, Oil & Gas and Banking. About 50 per cent of Mobile calls in Nigeria are routed through enterprise servers and storage managed and supported by us while 40 per cent of Telecoms Information Systems Managed Services are also provided by CWG” he noted

“Same applies to the banking industry, about 30 per cent of Automated Teller Machines’(ATMs) transaction pass through CWG’s Wincor-Nixdorf ATMs while about 35 per cent of ATMs installed base in Nigeria are supplied and supported by CWG” Okere declared.

For the Chief Technology Officer of CWG Plc, Mr. James Agada emphasized “60 per cent of banking transactions in Nigeria happen on our Finacle Core Banking system, installed in 10 of the 21 Nigerian banks, and about 20 per cent of bank branch transactions on data links are carried out through CWG’s Network Infrastructure.

He stressed that CWG Plc and her partner, Infosys have also extended the Finacle Core Banking System to other African countries where they now have physical presence, with CWG’s certified technical staff handling both the implementation and support.

Thereafter, the team toured CWG Plc’s IT facilities, including the Tier 3 Datacentre, Network Operations Centre, Customer experience Centre and Academy, which assures continuous quality skills to support her continental expansion ambitions. CWG Plc currently has direct operations in Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda and Cameroon and partnerships in 18 other countries.

  
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