cholera spread in Mozambique continues to accelerate, almost 1.8 million vaccines financed by Gavi

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With rising cholera spread in Mozambique, some 1.8 million vaccines financed by Gavi are on their way to eight affected districts, reports ITREALMS.

The International Coordinating Group (ICG), mandated to manage emergency supplies of vaccines, first approved a request from Mozambique to vaccinate 1,358,682 people over the age of one with a single dose oral cholera vaccine strategy on 9th March and last week approved an additional request to vaccinate 410,629 people with a view of supporting the country’s efforts to limit mortality and reduce the spread of the disease.

INEC continues voter registration indefinitely - ITREALMS

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared that the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) would continue indefinitely until further notice, reports ITREALMS.

Rising from a crucial meeting on Thursday, INEC management directed all Resident Electoral Commissioners and Electoral Officers nationwide to continue the exercise.

National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye Esq. confirmed this after the meeting on Thursday to ITREALMS, acknowledging they deliberated on a number of issues, including the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, the issuance of Certified True Copies (CTCs) of documents and the commencement of the Uploading of the List and Personal Particulars of Governorship and State Assembly Candidates. 

According to him, "the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) will continue nationwide, and all the Resident Electoral Commissioners and Electoral Officers have been directed to continue with the exercise pending further directives from the Commission. The Commission has consistently reiterated its resolve to continue to provide electoral services to the Nigerian people and register all eligible Nigerians that are interested in registering. The Commission has yet again deployed additional machines to areas of pressure and will continue to serve the people of Nigeria." 

Also, he disclosed that the case at the Federal High Court relating to the terminal date of the CVR came up yesterday Wednesday 29th June 2022, and based on the request of the Commission, the Court granted an accelerated hearing and adjourned the matter to Monday 4th July 2022 for hearing of the substantive matter. The Commission will give an update after court hearing next week. 

The Commission, he said, has been inundated with applications for CTCs of various documents, so far, 186 requests for CTCs, some running into hundreds of pages, have been processed. The Commission is working round the clock, including weekends, to attend to all such requests. 

"We wish to assure political parties, aspirants, candidates, and all applicants for CTCs of documents that their applications will be treated expeditiously and will be issued in earnest," he said.

Further, he disclosed that by the Timetable and Schedule of Activities released by the Commission, political parties that conducted valid governorship and state assembly primaries shall upload the list and personal particulars of their nominated candidates between 1st and 15th July 2022. 

"We urge political parties to scrutinize the list and personal particulars of the candidates they propose to sponsor at the election to avoid any mix-up and duplication of names. Political parties are advised not to wait until the last day before uploading the list and personal particulars of their candidates. The Candidates Nomination Portal will shut down at 6pm on 15th July 2022," Okoye said.

He advised political parties that have challenges with uploading documents to contact the Commission’s Help – Desk, through the dedicated telephone lines or contact the candidate nomination centre at the Commission’s headquarters.

*Chuks Egbune/DoP

Saudi smartphone market continues decline, but IDC believes worst is over - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Saudi Arabia's smartphone market experienced a 15.3 per cent year-on-year decline in shipments in 2018, according to the latest figures announced today by International Data Corporation (IDC), reports ITREALMS.

The global technology research and consulting firm's newly released Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker shows smartphone shipments to the Kingdom fell to 7.5 million in 2018, down 48% on the market's peak in 2015.

The Saudi market's performance was broadly in line with the overall trend of the wider Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, where smartphone shipments were down 12.2 per cent year on year in 2018. With Saudi Arabia being biggest market in GCC, accounting for 47 per cent of all smartphone shipments to the region last year, any declines felt in this market are bound to affect the region's overall performance.

The Saudi smartphone market has been in a dire situation since 2016, when the first aggressive decline occurred. IDC's data shows there was a 30% year-on-year decline in smartphone shipments in 2016, followed by a further 13% fall in 2017 and now a 15k per cent drop off in 2018.

"These massive double-digit declines have been caused by many different factors, beginning with the Saudization of the mobile phone industry in 2016 that caused more than 40 per cent of independent retailers to shut down," says Nabila Popal, senior research manager for mobile phones at IDC. "Then there was the introduction of VAT in 2017, as well as a reduction in government subsidies and the implementation of dependent taxes – all of which caused a significant reduction in consumer disposable income. These factors and the overall lack of innovation in the smartphone space have led to a lengthening of the refresh cycle. Indeed, consumers are becoming smarter, carefully analyzing the cost versus features of all new devices, and simply do not see the need to upgrade their devices as often as before."

In terms of vendor dynamics, there was considerable movement over the course of the year. The top brands for 2018 as a whole were Samsung, Apple, and Huawei, with unit shares of 34.8 per cent, 28.4 per cent, and 19.6k per cent, respectively. However, by the final quarter of the year Huawei had mirrored its global position by moving into second place and pushing Apple down into third. Honor has also grown drastically to reach fourth position.

"Huawei's growth in the region, at such a time when leading brands are declining, is to be commended," says Popal. "There is a tendency to attribute this growth purely to good features, low prices, and great marketing, but Huawei's success in the GCC has also been influenced by its focus on providing dedicated and customized channel support. By doing this, Huawei is able to respond quickly to local market conditions and directly help its channel partners clear slow-moving stock."

Looking ahead, IDC's outlook for Saudi Arabia's smartphone market in 2019 is not too rosy; however, it appears that the worst is over and that the market is starting to stabilize. While IDC does not expect the Saudi smartphone space to see any major growth in 2019, it is expecting the road to recovery to begin this year, with forecasts showing a flat or very slight decline in the market.

"The arrival of 5G and foldable devices this year may bring some movement to the market as they will finally feed the intense craving from consumers for some genuine innovation," says Popal. "However, given the high price tags likely to come with these devices, they will take time to gain traction. So, while they will undoubtedly generate some long overdue excitement, I wouldn't expect them to bring double-digit growth to the struggling smartphone market."

Nenye Dom/Editor

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Inkjet market sees growth as Lasers misfire continues

ITREALMS:

The overall Egyptian hardcopy peripherals (HCP) market, which comprises single-function printers, MFPs, and single-function digital copiers for both office-based and production segments, experienced a year-on-year decline of 19.2% in Q1 2018 to total 26,139 units, according to the latest insights International Data Corporation (IDC), reports ITRealms.

The global technology research and consulting firm's recently published Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker shows that the inkjet segment once again recorded strong growth in Q1 2018, with shipments rising 26.5% year on year to total 12,725 units worth $1.16 million.

"The stellar growth seen in the inkjet segment can be attributed to the improved performance of the retail sector and a steady easing of inflation rates since August 2017," says Samar El-Sayed, a senior research analyst for imaging, printing, and document solutions at IDC Egypt. "Vendors also supported the market's growth by introducing affordable new inkjet models targeted at consumers and small office/home office users in an attempt to boost their own shipments and compensate for declines in the laser market."

Shipments of ink tank devices increased 72.0% year on year in Q1 2018 to total 3,049 units, accounting for almost one-quarter of the overall inkjet shipments for the three-month period. "The growing uptake of ink tank printers was driven in large part by increased awareness among end users of the lower costs per page offered by such devices when compared with traditional cartridge-based inkjets," says El-Sayed.

The mono laser segment continued its decline in Q1 2018, with shipments down 44.0% year on year to total 12,265 units and revenue falling 30.9% to $6.09 million. In contrast, the color laser market recorded year-on-year shipment growth, spurred by the government's relaxation of color laser device import rules.

In the 21-30 ppm A3 mono laser segment, shipments increased 27.2% to 1,526 units, although the value of these shipments declined 5.3% to $2.39 million, which indicates a decrease in average selling prices. IDC expects the A3 laser segment to see steady growth over the coming years, driven by increasing interest in print service contracts from both the public and private sectors.

In terms of vendor unit rankings for the Egyptian HCP market in Q1 2018, HP Inc. and Canon remained in first and second place, respectively, together accounting for around two-thirds of overall shipments. However, both vendors suffered declines in the quarter, with HP Inc.'s overall HCP shipments down 9.9% year on year to 10,140 units and Canon's shipments falling 23.0% to 6,827 units.

While Xerox ranked third in terms of unit share, it placed first in value, accounting for around 41% of the market's total. Xerox's shipments and revenues more than doubled year on year in Q1 2018 to reach 3,386 units worth $4.28 million, spurred by strong sales of its midrange mono and color laser devices.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Orange brand in Liberia, continues strong presence in West Africa

ITRealms:

In line with its Essentials2020 strategic plan, Orange has launched its brand in Liberia with Cellcom Liberia becoming Orange Liberia, reports ITRealms.

Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Orange Group and Chairman and CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa, Bruno Mettling, said that following the rebranding of Cellcom, Orange Liberia has joined one of the world’s most powerful brands and stands to benefit from being part of a large international group.

ITRealms gathered that Orange would provide its marketing expertise and world-class technical capability to further strengthen the operator’s established network and enhance customer service in Liberia.

ITRealms reports that with over 1.6 million customers at the end of February 2017, Orange Liberia is the leading mobile operator in Liberia in terms of customers.

Founded in 2004, the mobile operator has been a driving force in democratizing access to telecommunication services across the country, despite difficult market conditions. It has always been a precursor in terms of network deployment and in 2012 was the first operator in Liberia to launch 3G (HSPA+) services following by 4G-LTE services in 2016. Orange will pursue this strategy and will continue to invest in the development of its network where the company is already a market leader.

With a population of 4.6 million people and relatively low mobile penetration rate (70% of the population) the country has a high growth potential for Orange. To support this development, the Group will work to reinforce the quality of access in several areas:

Chuks Egbune/GEE 

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