Businesses in the country are increasingly embracing ICT solutions in a bid to support their growth initiatives and tap into the country’s booming online landscape.
According to latest reports by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the country had over 75 million active internet subscriptions – presenting a huge market for online trade – one that Businesses in the country are keen to exploit.
Juliet Ehimuan Chiazor, Country Manager, Google Nigeria in an interview, was keen to express her delight. She noted that internet is particularly essential for businesses as it serves as a gateway to global customers. Already, there exist in the country currently ICT companies which provide cost-effective web-based solutions to, especially SMEs for managing their businesses in line with global best practices, thereby making them credible organisations with better access to bank loans, Chiazor said.
“It’s an exciting time we are seeing in Nigeria today where we are seeing innovative migration from offline to online platform both for businesses, individuals and governments Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs),” Chiazor added.
According to the latest insights released today by International Data Corporation (IDC), the government vertical in Africa is becoming one of the biggest investors in ICT in general, and IT services in particular.
“Governments in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Botswana, and elsewhere are implementing national ICT policies that are driving the adoption of technology,” said Lise Hagen, research manager for software and IT services at IDC South Africa.
“Governments are using ICT to enable service delivery, while e-Government and m-Government initiatives are high on the agenda for driving e-transformation and addressing issues around rapid urbanization. The continent’s telecom, banking and finance, oil and gas, and mining verticals also present major ICT opportunities.”
Growing public and private sector IT spending, together with maturing and increasingly competitive business environments, are also driving ICT services demand according to the latest insights released the global advisory services firm.
More businesses are now bypassing the need to put up physical shops and opting to start online shops instead as more Nigerians are now embracing e-commerce as their preferred platform for buying and selling goods and services.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), DHL and Deloitte have affirmed that businesses particularly SMEs, hold the ace to Africa’s economic growth.
Corroborating the prediction on SMEs sector’s potential, an online report stated that the growing internet user penetration in Africa also provides a massive opportunity for SMEs and as Africa continues to adopt e-commerce as a way of life, businesses are able to leverage this online marketplace and thus reduce traditional customer acquisition costs.
“While each country has different requirements, there are common themes supporting the adoption of IT services in Africa,” says Hagen.
“For example, as last-mile connectivity continues to improve, Internet services are becoming more easily available over wider geographic areas at lower costs, leading to improved IT services adoption. Demand for remains primarily focused on basic implementation and support services, but larger organizations across the continent are increasingly seeking advanced solutions such as implementation and systems integration services. Early-adopter organizations are also assessing cloud technologies – specifically software as a service (SaaS) – and Big Data analytics, which is creating significant opportunities for service providers,” Hagen added.
