Demola Urges Indigenous OEMs to Think Outside The Box

Sir Ademola Aladekomo, group managing director, Chams Plc, also said it high time, the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) reflected on moving the sector forward in line with world IT developmental agenda, while advising the three tiers of government in Nigeria to embrace technologies posed by the indigenous OEMs.

Demola made the remark in Lagos while chatting with journalists in Lagos, recently, stressing the need the government to encourage and protect the local OEMs, especially as organs for job creations.

“But even in doing that the OEMs need to keep asking ourselves what do we need? If you are going to protect people based on the importation of PCs, do we really need PCs in the environment again? The units we needed about a year ago would have dramatically reduced to what we have now. But if is about protecting them for regular PCs and nobody is purchasing, has the protection’s effort not defeated.

He charged the manufacturers to specifically focus on devices or software applications that are in line with contemporary world.

“I prefer our regular OEMs to start developing Tablets or devices that we can democratize; those general public can have access to, which is the way technology is going now.

“The young software developers should focus on apps that can solve our societal and economical needs. With innovation, it means I do not need your services, because all the services would have been there; you keep innovating.

He however highlighted that every society, like Nigeria is faced with some challenges, nevertheless the OEMs can turn the table.

“There is no country today that does not have unique challenges. The environment may be tougher in certain areas like when you are considering power generation, business environment, but I do not think our is much different from others. It boils down on the business model being implemented and perspective one has about the market, especially the attitude one has towards the market,” he added.

The Chams boss maintained that OEMs should not complain that PCs are going out of fashion because government is not patronizing them hence PCs and laptops will definitely go out of fashion.

He said: “Now, what is your perception about the country? This is a country of about 160 million people without any legacy system, no data bases, no mini technologies; they are just going to leapfrog on technology, which means they are going to use Samsung tablet parts, the various kinds of Apple and other Tablets that are average, to showcase their products. A couple of things are jumping those tests. Now, what is your attitude towards those challenges? If you keep attributing those challenges to a single person or the government it may be a wrong attitude”.

He further advised the OEMs to harness the potentials available to them in view of the enormous human population of the country.