Cardoso: Digitalisation key driver in advancing financial inclusion, urges stronger ties with Middle East - ITREALMS

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The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, has underscored that digitalisation is key driver in advancing financial inclusion, just as he canvassed stronger economic ties with the Middle East and the Nigerian diaspora community in the region.

Speaking during a meeting with Talal Al-Humond, the Assistant Governor for Monetary Affairs, Saudi Arabia Central Bank – SAMA, on the sideline of the just-concluded inaugural Conference on Emerging Markets Economies organised by the Ministry of Finance, Saudi Arabia, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Regional Office in Riyadh, Mr. Cardoso said there were lessons to be learned from Saudi Arabia in terms of infrastructural development and tourism.

PC market declines in Middle East, Africa by 25.9%

ITRealms:

The Middle East and Africa (MEA) PC market has witnessed a 25.9 per cent year-on-year decline in shipments in the first quarter 2016, reports ITRealms.

Acclaimed global technology research and consulting firm, the International Data Corporation (IDC) made this revelation at the weekend, saying that shipments to the region fell for the fourth consecutive quarter, to total 3.2 million units.

Notebooks, IDC said, recorded a sharp 28.7 per cent decline in shipments to total 1.9 million units, while desktop shipments registered a comparatively slower decline, falling by 21.4 per cent year-on-year to total 1.3 million units.

The Senior Research Manager for Personal Computing, Systems, and Infrastructure Solutions, IDC Middle East, Africa, and Turkey at IDC, Fouad Charakla, said all the largest markets in the region declined in the first quarter Q1 of 2016.

“The reasons differ from country to country, but slowdowns in tourist spending, lower consumer confidence resulting from low oil prices, political and economic instability, currency devaluations, and military conflicts have all played a part in the regional contraction. The ongoing shift in end-user spending toward smartphones and, to a lesser extent, tablets in the consumer segment was also a key element in the market’s decline,” Charakla said.

Akin to previous quarters, Charakla pointed out that the positions of the top three vendors remained unchanged in Q1 2016, despite experiencing a year-on-year decline of 23.4 per cent in shipments.

“HP remained the market leader, securing the highest market share ever attained by a PC vendor in the region over the past 10 years. Second-placed Lenovo registered a slightly deeper year-on-year decline of 25.2 per cent, while third-placed Dell suffered the sharpest decline of all vendors, recording a 28.9 per cent fall in shipments,” the manager said.

In the intervening time, fourth-ranked Acer was the only vendor to experience growth in the region, with a 2.2 per cent year-on-year increase in shipments. However, the gap in terms of the market share of the top four vendors remains significant with Asus in fifth place, although Asus suffered a year-on-year decline of 7.3per cent in shipments during the first quarter of the year.

“With the approach of the holy month of Ramadan combined with the usual summer slowdown in activity, the second quarter of 2016 is also expected to record a decline in shipments, albeit a much softer one,” continues Charakla. “In the longer term, the PC market is expected to recover to some extent in 2017, with modest growth anticipated in the following years. Shipments to Africa are expected to grow slightly faster than shipments to the Middle East. Some substantial desktop orders were secured by local brands in Egypt and Algeria during Q1 2016, and there were also a number of large education sector deliveries that took place in smaller African markets during the quarter, such as in Rwanda, Burkina Faso, and Ivory Coast.”

IDC further noted that there will continue to be a gradual shift in the pattern of demand from consumers to commercial customers, as a growing proportion of home users switch from PCs to tablets and smartphones, while commercial end users retain a stronger loyalty to PCs. The only exception to this trend will be the education sector, where commercial users will transition from PCs to tablets at a much faster rate. Despite this anomaly, commercial demand for PCs in the region is expected to surpass that of home users by 2018.

Chuks Egbuna/GEE 

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Ertem prescribes tripod economic plan for Nigeria

ITRealms:

The Regional Director for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa at Intel Corporation, Mrs Cigdem Ertem has given a tripod prescription for Nigeria’s economic recovery, reports ITRealms.

Speaking at the The Economist Summit in Intercontinental Hotel, Lagos recently, Ertem said that what Nigeria needs now to improve the economy is to encourage innovation, entrepreneurship and diversification.

Nigeria, she said, is facing a new reality of lower oil prices, and structural forces undermining growth, hence technology, more than ever is now a lever that will help transform and diversify the economy.

“Intel focuses on supporting technology enabled industries and drivers of economic growth like Education, Finance & Banking, Manufacturing and the Professional Services,” she said.

As said by her, studies by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) show that approx. 96 per cent of Nigerian businesses are SMEs compared to 53 per cent in the US and 65 per cent in Europe. However SME’s contribute approx. 1 per cent of Nigerian’s GDP, compared to 40 per cent in Asian countries and 50 per cent in the US or Europe. 

Addressing the statistics, Ertem noted that the low level of contribution can be attributed to several constraints, including lack of funding, infrastructure, and low level of productivity; all of which can be bridged through technology.

”At Intel, we do more than power a PC, we empower and enable youth, and women in Nigeria and around the world to become a viable part of the global knowledge economy by providing support for them to develop relevant technology skills that will increase their opportunities in the market, and help them thrive as entrepreneurs, through programs like Intel She Will Connect, Intel Teach, and Intel Capital.”

Intel Capital continues to invest in innovative technology start-ups and companies in Africa, since 1991 Intel Capital and has invested over $1.2 billion, while Intel Teach and She Will Connect have trained over 150,000 teachers and 35,000 young girls and women in Nigeria respectively, in partnership with NGO’s, Government and Intel’s business partners.

Other speakers at the summit include Aliko Dangote, CEO Dangote Group; Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment; and Adebola Williams of Red Media.

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With computers everyone is more powerful – Cigdem Ertem

ITRealms:

The Regional President for Middle East, Turkey and Africa at Intel Corporation, Mrs. Cigdem Ertem has declared that with computers, everyone is more powerful, reports ITRealms.

She made this declaration while speaking at a press conference on the Personal Computer (PC) adoption initiative by a set of computing technology players in Lagos.

“With computers, everyone is more powerful,” she asserted.

These players, ITRealms reports include Dell, Microsoft, Asus, Zinox, RLG, Lenovo, Airtel and Diamond Bank.

Mrs. Ertem said that with the kind of partnership Intel is drawing on this initiative, more Nigerians would be empowered.

She also said that this would entail affordable computers, mostly with the support of the government.

“So I am happy to announce that we are in Nigeria to make computers and the internet more affordable,” she said.

Ertem pointed out that only Intel cannot do it all, thus the partnership becomes imperative.

There was series of remarks from the partnership including Dell, Microsoft, RLG, Lenovo and Diamond Bank.

ITRealms also reports that the initiative is aimed at nurturing and supporting the development of innovators as well as businesses in Nigeria.

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Pix: L-r New HP Nigeria, MD, Ify Afe, SSA Job Creation and Youth Employment to Vice President, Mr. Afolabi Imoukhuede, Regional President, Middle East, Turkey and Africa, Intel, Mrs. Cidgem Ertem, speaking; Distribution Sales Manager, Lenovo West Africa, Mrs Terae Onyeje, Consumer Director, Microsoft Nigeria, Mark Ihimoyan and Regional Director, B2G West and Central Africa at RLG, Tosin Ilesanmi.

El-Leithy appointment to ensure regional experience-Nokia

 ITRealms:

Nokia Technologies have said that appointment of Amr Karim El-Leithy as designated Head of Middle East and Africa was to bring valuable regional experience and expertise to the management team, ITRealms reports.

Amr Karim El-Leithy would report to Ashish Chowdhary, Chief Customer Operations Officer, who said:

"We are delighted to announce the appointment of Amr Karim El-Leithy as designated Head of Middle East and Africa. He brings valuable regional experience and expertise, and would be a great asset to the management team. I look forward to working with him as we continue to innovate on behalf of our customers, delivering leading products and services and positioning Nokia as the foundation of seamless connectivity for people and things, wherever they are."

ITRealms learnt that Nokia announced this as part of the planned combination of Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent, after and subject to the successful closing of the public exchange offer for Alcatel-Lucent securities made public on April 15, 2015.

El-Leithy would oversee the combined company's customer operations across Middle East and Africa, driving the execution of strategy and ensuring superior customer service, underpinned by a strong focus on innovation and quality.

He is currently the President for Middle East, Turkey and Africa for Alcatel-Lucent even as joined the company in 2009.Prior to that he served as Regional General Manager for North & West Africa at IBM, ITRealms gathered.

The appointment of Amr Karim follows the announcement of the planned senior leadership team and organizational structure for the combined Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent on October 7, 2015. After the closing of the exchange offer, it is planned that the Networks business would be conducted through four business groups: Mobile Networks, Fixed Networks, Applications & Analytics and IP/Optical Networks.

Nokia Technologies, ITRealms  also reports, would remain as a separate entity within the combined company. In addition, effective after the closing of the exchange offer, Nokia would have six additional business leaders serving as Chief Financial Officer, Chief Customer Operations Officer, Chief Innovation & Operating Officer, Chief Human Resources Officer, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Marketing Officer.

 

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE

 
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Gemalto saves 3bn phonebook contacts in MEA

ITRealms: Over three billion mobile phonebook contacts across the Middle East and Africa region are now being saved through Gemalto LinqUs Cloud Backup solution, ITRealms reports. President for Africa & Middle East, Gemalto, Eric Claudel, said, “Our cloud backup solutions are number one in the region. The combination of a field proven solution with our extensive experience in managing platforms on behalf of customers ensures that we can readily replicate and share best practice and expertise. With 9 out of 10 of our clients in the region opting for the Gemalto-operated-service solution, it is clear we are increasingly recognized as a strategic partner that can support particularly dynamic business development plans.” This market-leading solution is currently deployed by 22 different mobile network operators in the region, 90 per cent of which have opted for Gemalto’s fully operated service in SaaS mode. Having doubled in the last 24 months, now over 40 million subscribers no longer have to worry about losing touch with friends, family or business contacts, should their phone be lost or stolen. President for Africa & Middle East, Gemalto, Eric Claudel, said, “Our cloud backup solutions are number one in the region. The combination of a field proven solution with our extensive experience in managing platforms on behalf of customers ensures that we can readily replicate and share best practice and expertise. With 9 out of 10 of our clients in the region opting for the Gemalto-operated-service solution, it is clear we are increasingly recognized as a strategic partner that can support particularly dynamic business development plans.” Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO), the world leader in digital security, announced that over three billion mobile phonebook contacts across the Middle East and Africa region alone are now being saved through solution, ITRealms gathered. The popularity of Gemalto LinqUs Cloud Backup solution reflects its value as an essential safeguard for modern connected lifestyles. Offered by the mobile operators, familiar and trusted by subscribers, it works with any type of phone, whether feature phone or smart phone, and regardless of whether contacts are saved in the handset or the SIM card. For end users, storing and retrieving contacts are hence simple and seamless operations, which provide complete peace of mind. A press release by the company said that LinqUs Cloud Backup solution belongs to Gemalto’s white-label LinqUs Personal Cloud suite of solutions, which addresses three key mobile consumer needs: data protection, device protection and family protection. LinqUs Personal Cloud suite of solutions enables mobile network operators (MNOs) to improve customer engagement and increase their brand loyalty by offering a value added service that users can trust and rely on. Cyriacus Nnaji/ED,OPs    ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

ICANN’s first DNS-Entrepreneurship roadshow kicks off in EMEA

ITRealms:

 The Los Angeles-based Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has commenced its first-ever Domain Name System (DNS) Roadshow in the Europe, Middle East and Africa, reports ITRealms.

This is coming as the series of workshop DNS-Entrepreneurship Center’s (DNS-EC) enters the second year.

Communications Director, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at ICANN, Ms Luna Madi said the the DNS-EC, a partnership between ICANN and Egypt's National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA), aims to contribute to the evolution of the domain name sector in Africa and the Middle East through a series of workshops. 

According to her, the workshop entitled “SWOT Workshop for National DNS Markets,” serves as seminars aimed at developing expertise in the DNS business related areas, and provide resources to support the implementation of initiatives and projects in this field. 

The Domain Name System (DNS), she said, helps users find their way around the Internet. 

“The DNS matches domain names, which we use to access the Internet, with numeric addresses (IP addresses), which digital devices use to communicate with each other. It’s very much like how a phone book matches names to phone numbers,” she said in a press statement made available to ITRealms.

Equally, ITRealms gathered that four workshops have been planned from this month until the end of the year, 2015, with the first two scheduled to hold this October.

One in Tunis, Tunisia, with the collaboration of partners like the Tunisie Internet (ATI), she said, would take place from Thursday through Friday, 8-9 October 2015.

This, ICANN official said, would be followed by a second workshop, to be hosted by Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) in Doha, Qatar between 11-12 October 2015.

The objective of the workshops, she said, is to construct a Strategic Plan for ccTLD Registry based on a SWOT (Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats) analysis of the country’s DNS market. 

Potential attendees, Madi said would include ccTLD managers, IDN ccTLD manager, and the Registrars/Resellers in the respective countries, stressing the two workshops would be conducted in partnership with EnCirca Domain Name Registrar and Startingdot Registry. 

“We are very excited about this road show. It comes at just the right time, as the DNS-EC enters its second year and becomes more proactive in addressing the needs of the DNS community by expanding its outreach and building the necessary infrastructure across Africa and the Middle East.”

ITRealms gathered that the DNS Entrepreneurship Center (DNS-EC) which debut in June 2014, during ICANN50 in London, is an important milestone, materializing the plans set out by the Middle East Strategy for ICANN, to serve communities in Africa and the Middle East.

The project is a partnership with Egypt’s NTRA, and is being implemented in three phases – Foundation (1 July 2014-30 June 2015), Launch (1 July 2015-30 June 2017) and Operation (On-going). 
+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) 
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