Signal Alliance Says Local Content Essential for Indigenous Companies’ Survival

Adanma Onuegbu, chief executive officer, Signal Alliance, has identified local intellectual property (LIP) safeguard as essential in achieving the country’s economic and technological advancement.

Onuegbu who spoke to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek at the Company’s Customer Week Workshop (CWW) held in Lagos during the week, opposed the cravings among individuals and organization that caused avalanche-influx of foreign products into the economy.

According to her, with an official rebase of the GDP last year the need to diversify, innovate and grow as a strategic template can be applied to guide decision makers and realign the economy, while local content policy implementations must not be neglected.

Founded in 1996, Signal Alliance, an end-to-end IT Company which specializes in systems integration, has grown to be a most vibrant, forward moving ICT company in Nigeria.

For four years now, the Company schedules a-week long activities to celebrate the customers and beam torchlight on matters deserving attention in the Nigerian cum global IT space.

The theme for this year is, ‘Diversify, Innovate and Grow’; this according to the CEO was chosen in order to further draw attention to the challenges and opportunities in the Nigerian economy.

On challenges faced by the private sector in the industry, she said, “One of the challenges we have is the influx of other multinationals to Nigeria. Why am I saying this? We have this mentality that, ‘if it were not done by a foreign company, it is not genuine’. We have to groom our intellectual property and see values in what our local industries are doing. People tend to think it is only when you products from China, India, etc or companies from there that you have genuine products, but it is beginning to change. For instance, agencies like the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), which tires to encourage the growth of local contents by ensuring no matter what you have, even if it is not available in Nigeria, you have to partner local companies to deliver it. Such means will boost the local partners’ growth and global relevance.

“Nevertheless, we are doing what we can in the local contents, because no matter what they do out there and they come to deliver in Nigeria, the support has to be done locally.

On specific industry solutions which Signal Alliance had pledged to help deliver, for instance, to the electricity distribution companies (DISCOS), Onuegbu said, “Signal Alliance has a range of solutions that we can deliver alongside OEMs like SAP and Cisco to the customers. The DISCOs at the moment still have a lot to do before they can ensure of stable services. They are still in the teething stage, but in no distant time, we hope they will overcome. We are looking at a situation they can use software to address the metering challenges. But we discovered that the funds are not there yet for them to move to the next level.

“The infrastructure they inherited were not in the optimal state; and they had to revert to borrowing from banks and venture capitals to sponsor their programmes. 

This is the fourth edition of the customer week. We use the opportunity to celebrate our customers for the year as a way to say ‘thank you’ while assessing the business climate.

“If you look at what has been happening since last year when the oil price started dwindling, economies are going down in a lot of places and it gives us the initiatives to think inwards. Business is not as usual. What it means is that we need to think outside the box, looking at other ways to reinvent ourselves.

“It is either you grow with IT or you depreciate without it. Businesses are dying for the sheer reason of neglect of IT potentials. Technology changes every facet of life today. So, through the workshop we have looked at improving our services to ensure the customers get 100% satisfaction, so that business continuity can always be there.

She said, the theme is not just about Signal Alliance but any entrepreneur that is thinking about survival.

On Signal Alliance’s input, helping organizations to cater for their IT solution needs, and inject skill sets into the industry, she said, “What we have done over the years is that we started an Internship programme for instance, to bridge the skills gap in the industry. This programme was targeted at fresh graduates. We give them about two year intensive training afterwards they are retained or released to be engaged by other companies.

“We have seen the impact of the training on the industry too. It brings out the best in them. Other companies are looking at that model too. We shouldn’t be waiting for only those who have gotten experience to be engaged for work. You have to spend and groom the people.  We believe other service providers can try the model too”.

Several activities were lined up for the week which includes, customer interactions, workshop on Nigeria economy & technology, CSR programme and Customer appreciation / award ceremony.

With solid industry experience spanning across the major sectors of the Nigerian industry, Signal Alliance offers services in the areas of Technology Support, Network Infrastructure, Enterprise Applications and Service Assurance.

The Company boasts of highly skilled and certified consultants as well as major strategic partnerships with World industry giants such as Microsoft, Cisco and CA Technologies.

The company prides itself on its ability to gain a thorough understanding of clients’ businesses and using appropriate technology as a bridge between where the client is and where it wants to go.