Business owners in Ikeja Computer Village have urged the Federal Government to come up with policies that will enhance business growth at the nation’s largest technology market. The stakeholders who spoke at the maiden edition of Computer Village Expo 2015, the annual showcase event of the Nigeria technology market organised by Technology Times, made this call against the background of a perceived dwindling fortunes of the market.
Speaking at the Thought Leadership Forum of the Expo, Mrs Nike Shittu, MD/CEO of Mojoy Computers said that quick intervention of the Federal Government is needed for the development of the largest market in the country. “We have the population, the wealth, the GDP we have the sources and the resources. We have not even explored anything in the Computer Village. All we need are good policies to ensure the development of the market”, she said
According to her, “general statistics as far as Computer Village is concerned, we used to have a minimum of 10 to 15 thousand units of computer sales on a monthly basis but the situation is not the same now. The issue now is that the place needs what you can call re-branding. Apart from selling computers, I see that place as our own Silicon Village.’’ The Mojoy Computers CEO called for collaboration among business owners in the market to attract foreign investors and also attract buyers within and outside the shores of Africa.
‘’Computer Village is crying for help. People come from other African countries to do business with us in the past, but the situation is not the same now. So, let’s work together in unity so that Computer Village would be the best ICT cluster in the world”, Shittu added.
The Computer Village Expo 2015 Thought Leadership Forum also offered two presidential aspirants for the office of the President of Computers and Allied Products Dealers Association of Nigeria (CAPDAN), the umbrella body of the market, presenting their vision on how they intend to transform the body if given the mandate at their forthcoming elections.
Also speaking at the event, Mr Godfrey Iyke Nwosu, President of Phones and Allied Products Dealers Association (PAPDAN), noted: “We have more than 20 million phones being sold out from Computer Village monthly and presently the market is not the same as it was before. Sales are dropping day-by-day.” He added that several business dynamics are currently impacting the market as it is losing grounds to other African markets. According to him, to retain the relevance of the market which the National Bureau of Statistics said contributes about 2% to the national GDP; government ought to make deliberate policies to protect local investors and OEMs. The PAPDAN President said the present foreign exchange impasse also has negative impact on the market comprising of mainly startup businesses.