E-Business
High Inventory Levels Signal Shrinks 9.6% for MEA PC Market
The Middle East and Africa (MEA) PC market suffered a year-on-year decline of 9.6% in Q1 2015, with shipments to the region totaling 4.3 million units.
That’s according to the latest market insights announced by International Data Corporation (IDC), which attributed the market’s poor performance to currency fluctuations in a number of the region’s key markets, as well as to the ongoing instability in global oil prices.
The firm’s research further showed that portable PC shipments declined 9.4% to 2.7 million units, while desktop shipments fell 10.0% to 1.6 million units.
“Currency fluctuations were one of the main causes of the market’s decline slowdown, with key markets such as Nigeria, Turkey, Egypt, and Algeria all being hit,” said Fouad Charakla, research manager for personal computing, systems, and infrastructure solutions at IDC. “Low oil prices have also had a negative impact on almost all parts of the region, with the extent varying from country to country. Inventory pile-ups from the previous quarter also caused the Turkey market to decline faster year on year, while ongoing political and social unrest in the ‘Rest of Middle East’ sub-region* compounded the decline for MEA as a whole.”
Once again, the top three vendor positions in the region remained unchanged, with each of the top three vendors experiencing annual growth despite the market’s significant overall decline.
HP continued to lead in terms of market share, growing 6.5% year on year, while Lenovo maintained second position with growth of 5.3%.
Third-placed Dell’s shipments were up 3.5% over the same period, while fourth-placed Toshiba suffered a considerable downturn of 34.3%.
Rounding out the top five, Asus posted a year-on-year decline of 7.2%.
It should be noted that the segment of market players to suffer the most were local desktop assemblers, as they faced stiff competition from multinational PC brands and, more importantly, the refurbished PC market in many parts of the region.
For 2015 as a whole, IDC expects the MEA PC market to decline 4.8% year on year to total 17.3 million units. “Aside from currency fluctuations, one of the most significant market inhibitors will be the high PC inventory levels held by the region’s channels,” said Charakla. “While this inhibitor was primarily only felt in Turkey during Q1 2015, the impact is now expected to extend to many other parts of the region, including the UAE and the ‘Rest of Middle East’ sub-region.
Additionally, the devaluation of some major international currencies, such as the euro and ruble, will continue to negatively impact PC demand in MEA through reduced international trade and tourism from the affected regions.”
In the longer run, IDC expects the MEA PC market to remain almost flat between 2015 and 2019. However, there will be a gradual shift in the weight of demand from consumers to the commercial segment as a growing proportion of home users switch from PCs to tablets and smartphones and commercial end users maintain their loyalty towards PCs.
E-Business
Konga Kicks Off 2025 with Unbeatable Discounts in ‘Jara’ Promotion
Nigeria’s foremost composite e-commerce giant, Konga, has announced its first major sales event of 2025—Konga Jara.
This exciting campaign offers shoppers massive discounts of up to 70%, providing a perfect opportunity to save big and kickstart the year with unbeatable deals.
The 2025 edition of Konga Jara, themed “Confam New Year Deals,” commenced on Wednesday, January 1, and is set to run through Friday, January 31.
The promotion is accessible across all of Konga’s platforms, including its online store at www.konga.com and retail outlets nationwide.
Konga Jara is a well-loved annual shopping campaign designed to deliver extra value to customers, as its name implies.
The initiative is a thoughtful response to the financial challenges many Nigerians face in January, offering a wide range of products at heavily discounted prices to ease their burdens and meet their needs.
Shoppers can look forward to incredible deals on various items, including essential food staples such as bags of rice, cooking oil, tomato paste, condiments, and beverages.
Other discounted categories include Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), computing, groceries, fashion items, home and kitchen appliances, and quality wines and spirits, as well as non-alcoholic beverages.
In addition to the exceptional discounts, Konga Jara meets the yearnings of customers seeking value and affordability as it addresses the practical challenges of post-holiday season shopping.
By delivering competitive prices and substantial savings, the campaign reinforces Konga’s commitment to enhancing the shopping experience for its teeming customer base.
Speaking on the promotion, Kunle Ajani, Head of Marketing at Konga, highlighted the campaign’s strategic timing and consumer-centric approach. “We understand that January can be a challenging month for many.
“Konga Jara is our way of supporting our customers and helping them start the year on a positive note. With discounts of up to 70% across various categories, shoppers can enjoy great value and significant savings while purchasing essential items and more.”
Konga Jara continues to solidify the e-commerce giant’s reputation as the go-to platform for unbeatable deals, customer satisfaction, and quality products. With its expansive reach and seamless shopping experience, Konga invites everyone to take advantage of these exceptional “Confam New Year Deals” and make their 2025 shopping even more rewarding.
E-Business
NBS Votes N35m for Cybersecurity after Cyber Attack
National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has allocated N35 million in its 2025 budget for enhancing cybersecurity measures, following a cyber attack on its website on December 18, 2024.
Shortly after releasing its crime experience and security perception survey, the NBS website was compromised.
The bureau had reported that Nigerians paid N2.23 trillion in ransom between May 2023 and April 2024.
In addition to bolstering cybersecurity, the NBS’s N9.85 billion budget includes several significant initiatives.
These consist of N500 million for the Labour Force Survey, N80 million for the production of the Consumer Price Index, and N60 million for compiling quarterly GDP reports.
Other notable allocations are N55 million for the National Agricultural Sample Survey, N50 million for monitoring the 8-Point Agenda, and N45 million for service delivery capacity building.
Additionally, there are projects like N15 million for demographic statistics and N9 million for the Annual Abstract of Statistics.
Credit: newsdigest
E-Business
World Bank Raises Nigeria’s NIN Target to 180m
World Bank has raised Nigeria’s target for National Identification Numbers (NIN) issuance under the Digital Identity for Development (ID4D) project from 148 million to 180 million, reflecting confidence in the country’s progress despite earlier setbacks.
The ID4D project, launched in February 2020 with a $430 million budget, aims to establish an inclusive digital identity system to facilitate access to services, financial inclusion, and participation in the digital economy.
Nigeria has gotten $228.59 million from the $430 million earmarked for the Digital Identity for Development (ID4D) project, which was meant to facilitate the enrolment of 148 million National Identification Numbers by June 2024.
Nigeria failed to meet the enrollment target of 148 million by June 2024, and the World Bank agreed to extend the $430 million facility for the project until 2026.
In a new document detailing the terms of the restructuring, the World Bank noted that the project disbursement rate stood at 53.16 per cent as of November 2024.
The project’s total financing amounts to $430 million equivalent, $115 million of which are from the World Bank’s IDA, $100 million equivalent from the French Development Agency (AFD), and $215 million equivalent from the European Investment Bank (EIB).
The bank disclosed that, so far, 53.16 per cent of the fund has been disbursed but added that Nigeria has made significant progress toward fulfilling the final disbursement condition, which is the amendment of the NIMC Act to promote an inclusive and non-discriminatory legal and regulatory framework.
According to the latest restructuring document, the new target is part of a two-phase extension plan to support Nigeria in completing critical project milestones and expanding its reach to underserved populations.
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has issued 115 million NINs as of October 2024, a significant achievement but still shy of the original June 2024 target.
The World Bank emphasised the importance of closing the existing gap, particularly for vulnerable groups such as women, persons with disabilities, and disadvantaged communities.
To accelerate progress, Nigeria secured a six-month extension earlier this year to design and launch a new national identity management system built on open-source, scalable, and interoperable architecture. Having met this condition, a second-stage extension for an additional 24 months is now proposed, pushing the project’s closing date to December 2026.
The restructuring also prioritises legal reforms, including amendments to the NIMC Act and the introduction of critical bills to bolster Nigeria’s digital economy.
The NIMC Act amendment, which has already passed two readings in the National Assembly, aims to create a non-discriminatory regulatory framework, with final approval expected by February 2025.
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