All these initiatives of Zinox involves much expenditure of resources, but the most saddening thing is that we are not encouraged by people defaulting after the initial deposit.
Marketing
Credit Policy
Infrastructure
: These have already been highlighted earlier, but permit me to share some experience. Freighting is an essential part of goods distribution and contributes to marketing. : Nigerians are yet to come to terms with credit purchase. The Central Bank of Nigeria is coming up with many policies to encourage the use of credit cards. The unfortunate thing is that even in this early stage many people are already defaulting in meeting their payment obligations. : Pricing of our goods is affected by the volatility of the foreign exchange. So prices cannot be maintained.
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In November 2007, Zinox lost a whole truck conveying goods to Yola through fire. This incident is avoidable where the roads in order.
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e. Purchasing Power
f. Local Content
g. Power
h. Discrimination against Nigerian made Goods
i. Bulk Purchasers
j. Security
: The agencies saddled with security of lives and properties in the country appear helpless to the prevailing state of insecurity in the country. : People saddled with bulk purchase of products for their organisations prefer buying from abroad (even where local and equally good substitutes are available), thereby depleting our foreign currency because of the kick back they get in hard currency. : Nigerian psyche has been steeped in the notion that foreign products are preferable even when there alternative high quality and cheaper local products. Even the government officials for some selfish or pecuniary reason also think this way. : Power generation, transmission and distribution in Nigeria right now are tottering in miserable obscurity or virtually non-existent. There is no need flogging a dying horse. For solution we should look at cost effective form of generation – nuclear energy. : The strangle hold the foreign companies have on the upstream sector of the oil industry and the profit they are scooping out of this country, is not making them develop the downstream sector. And most local investors do not have the capacity to go into the sector. Thus certain products from petrochemical plants that would have impacted the development of local content are still being imported. In the ICT industry, only cardboard cartons are produced locally. : The amount of disposable income available to majority of Nigerians is so low due to wide spread unemployment and poverty. This affects the ownership of this all important ICT tool.What role can government and other relevant agencies play?
Most of these factors that negatively impact industries are within the purview of government to remedy. Having said that, we believe that Government needs to:
a. Improve policy, legal, and regulatory frameworks;
b. Build institutional capacity across sectors and at various levels;
c. Seek out and respond to industry needs and preferences;
d. Establish and maintain a range of oversight, accountability, and feedback mechanisms; and
e. Mobilize and allocate public resources and investments.
Conclusions and Recommendations
We want to conclude that the ICT industry in its present embryo stage needs government partnership. Partnership between government and the private sector engenders trust. Industries have recently seen a significant increase in various forms of partnering. The intent of these relationships is to improve competitive advantage through collaboration and the best use of talents, working toward a common goal. This commitment forms the foundation for an environment of trust and cooperation that benefits everyone. The Japanese model supervised by the Ministry of International Trade immediately after World War II wrought the economic miracle that catapulted Japan into one of the most industrialised countries in the world today. Government should have a look at how that model can be adapted to suit our environment. We are not asking to be spoon fed, we only want a level playing field to enable us compete.
Based on the foregoing, we would like to see the following recommendations implemented.
1. Policy consistency
2. Pioneer status incentives
3. Investment in infrastructure provision and maintenance
4. Human capital development vis a vis empowering educational institutions to be ambient to current global trends
5. Long term Capital provision at rates that compete with international financial institutions
6. Welfare of citizens including social safety net Legislation against dumping
Concluded