ICT Holds Transformational Opportunities for Nigeria-Makwane

Microsoft has been in Nigeria for decades. The software giant claims to be deeply committed to the evolution of a truly indigenous Nigerian ICT industry. Its Managing Director, Mr. Kabelo Makwane, was one of the guests of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology at the ICT Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum last week. He agreed to respond to questions from Inye Kemabonta of Technology Times. Excerpts…

 
Many persons regard you as a Nigerian. How true is this?
While one has had fair exposure to the Western world, being an African who grew up and spent the better part of life on the continent means that one cannot but be a child of the soil regardless which country in Africa or culture one is exposed to.
I share a deep connection with the universal African values that define most Africans. Secondly, I am fully invested in the success, growth and economic prosperity of Nigeria but also in continuing the work of empowering the youth across this continent with the skills they need to be successful as either entrepreneurs or in finding gainful employment
which began in South Africa. However, the most significant aspect is that I’ve established new roots here because my family and I have fully settled in the country and we are fully immersed in Nigeria’s vibrant culture.

What is the concept behind the 4Afrika Project and how is it relevant to Nigeria and the youth of Nigeria?
The concept behind Microsoft 4Afrika is, essentially, to engage in Africa’s economic development and improve its global competitiveness.
To do this, we are focusing on three critical areas:
• Affordable Access – availing affordable devices for consumers and bringing relevant cloud services from small, medium, to large enterprises.
• World-class skills – Developing world-class skills for entrepreneurship and employability • Innovation – fostering the development of smart technology based solutions for Africa, by Africans Africa, at the moment, has the largest and fastest growing youth population in the world.
With such a high number, not all of the youth can be absorbed by existing enterprise into the mainstream economy. Therefore, the key focus areas with 4Afrika around the youth in Nigeria is to create an enabling environment for entrepreneurs and start-ups, so they can create economic and employment opportunities for themselves and others. To do this, Microsoft Ventures recently expanded into Nigeria, we collaborated with the Co-Creation Hub (Cchub). As a start have awarded two promising Nigerian start-ups – Abiola Olaniran from Gamsole and Hugo Ibo from Save & Buy – with 4Afrika innovation grants to help grow their businesses. In addition to the above through our Africa-wide Microsoft Virtual Academy and Biz4Afrika platforms, we are providing young Nigerian start-ups with the tools, resources, expertise and routes to market that they need to succeed.

Microsoft has been in Nigeria for decades. What has been the real value of your presence to the local economy?
Microsoft has been operating in Nigeria for 14 years. Since 2000, Microsoft has been a partner in Nigeria’s efforts to help its citizens unleash the power of technology. Microsoft has been a catalyst for the development of Nigeria’s local software and information technology services industries: In 2013 our local partner ecosystem grew to 1,750+ companies employing +45,000 people. In collaboration with our Partners and their workforce Microsoft is committed to expanding local centers of innovation in Nigeria by empowering small businesses, nurturing innovators and enabling workers to compete in the global economy. While Microsoft Partners vary widely in size and occupy a diverse range of market niches, a key to success for all of them is their commitment to developing products and services on our platforms. Our local partners have earned and continue to earn $9.6 for every $1 earned by Microsoft.
Through this partner ecosystem, we have been able to create 45 000 jobs, support 300 start-ups, reach three million students through the Partners in Learning program, and see 65 000 downloads of free Dream Spark developer tools. As mentioned, one of our key focus areas and where we can add a lot of value is on creating a more agile landscape for entrepreneurs. According to a study done by the Boston Consulting Group, between 2010 and 2013 tech-savvy SMEs created twice as many new jobs and grow revenues 15% faster than SMEs using little technology. As we continue to support, train and incubate startups and SMEs, encouraging them to adopt technology for improved productivity and develop cloud-based businesses, we hope to see great and sustained growth in the local economy. Through our BizSpark initiative we have served clients,
reached and mentored 50,000+ startups since 2009 and put best in-class software and support services within reach for budding entrepreneurs at little or no cost. Microsoft’s 9jaApps initiative in which it has invested $65,000 has reached over 700 developers, offered over 1,000 hours of training, mentoring and coaching.
Microsoft’s 9jaApps initiative is the biggest one time investment in the developer ecosystem by an OEM in an App competition. Microsoft has also supported the establishment of 2 iDEA Innovation Centers/ hubs located in Calabar, Cross River State and Lagos with program management assistance.
To bridge the growing opportunity divide, Microsoft has launched its YouthSpark company wide initiative to empower Youth and students obtain the training and tools to pursue their dreams and is targeting to create opportunities both here and for 300 million youth globally in 3 years. Through our Imagine Cup, we have reached 5,000 students. Via our Partners in Learning
(PIL) initiative, we have trained 70,000+ teachers since 2009. Since 2009 our free developer tools software has been downloaded by 138,000 technical students. Through our Shape the Future Initiative, we have provided digital access to 100,000+ youth.
Microsoft has also invested $500,000 in the Aiki Nigeria Employability Portal and project and has reached 10,000 youth, trained 80 Master trainers and enabling and creating employment/opportunities for 20,000 young people.
Cloud-based services like Office 365, which launched in Nigeria last year, empower Nigerian businesses across every industry to be more productive. Currently we have 75,000+ students using Office 365 for education for free. Also Microsoft’s Office 365 for Nonprofits program has put great technology at the disposal of several organizations addressing Nigeria’s most critical development challenges.
Microsoft is also committed to addressing societal challenges through efficient and flexible solutions to enable real transformation in areas such as Government, Health, Skills and Capacity Building. In partnership with the British Council, we have also created 15 Badiliko digital hubs in Lagos, Imo, Rivers, Edo States and the F.C. T (Federal Capital Territory, Abuja).

IT Academy used to be a pet project of Microsoft Nigeria. What is the status of the project across Nigeria?
Microsoft IT Academy (ITA) program which provides industry-leading technology skills to help bridge the skills gap. With Microsoft IT Academy institutions get digital curriculum and certifications on fundamental technology skills – as well as courses critical for students to be successful in today’s technologically evolving world – all at significantly reduced pricing for academic institutions and their educators, students and staff. In Nigeria we are gradually gaining momentum on deploying Microsoft IT Academies – we have over 460 academic institutions running ITA however poor Infrastructure has been a challenge in successfully deploying IT Academies. We are collaborating with key partners to ensure that the necessary connectivity, power and infrastructure are bundled in to IT Academy deployments across the country. A success example is that of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) where as a prerequisite for graduation the IT Academy program is integrated into the school curriculum, and students of the University on completing these courses, graduate with Microsoft Original ITA Certification. In the not to distance future, our goal is to scale the IT Academy into a national program – enabling global competitiveness of our students through skills and Microsoft certifications.
Also, The 4Afrika Academy has provided an education platform, leveraging both online and offline learning tools, to help Africans develop both technical and business skills for entrepreneurship and improved employability. In the last 6months alone over 48k people were trained and 23k employed through the Academy. The Virtual Academy is one of our core offers, demonstrating how Cloud computing revolutionizes learning and has registered a user base growing by at least 30%, active learning engagements.

What is the relationship of the company with the Nigerian government?
What really happened to the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement with the Federal Government?
Microsoft and the Nigerian government both believe one thing: that ICT holds transformational opportunity and promise for Nigeria. The public sector is one of the core audiences for the us and through the Microsoft 4Af rika initiative, supporting governments across Africa through programs such as the School of Government, Africa Open for Business and 4 Government Innovation Launchpad (a framework program designed to harness the power of Cloud and mobile technologies to transform the delivery of public services to citizens and businesses.), we believe our relationship with the different federal government agencies will further boost technology adoption in the public sector space in Nigeria.
Microsoft is deeply engaged with the relevant Ministries and Agencies in government to ensure that the Nigerian government continues to enhance productivity in the public service, is accountable to the citizens and constituencies and provides transparency in how essential citizen services are delivered to make a meaningful impact in the lives of Nigerians. As technology continues to evolve very quickly, we at Microsoft want to make sure that the Nigerian government enjoys the benefits of this evolution, delivering technology in more flexible and cost effective ways, and we have already signed the requisite memoranda to work towards incorporating the latest cloud services offering in the next version of the Enterprise Agreement.
How do you see the future of Microsoft in an Indigenous Nigerian ICT industry?
We are strong believers in fostering local innovation. Microsoft is a platform and Productivity Company for the cloud-first mobile-first world whose very essence is about building a strong ecosystem of local partners who can build and integrate solutions which are relevant for the Nigerian market. It is our objective to see technology solutions created for Africa, by Africans. Why? Because these are the solutions that make a meaningful impact. And we’re not just focusing on solutions, but providing affordable devices too. As an example, in November last year, we saw the launch of Nigeria’s first locally manufactured Windows-based tablet. Our future here is to continue supporting and enable this kind of local innovation so that Africans, and specifically Nigerians, can become strong players in the information and communication technology sector on a global scale.