Multinaltional technology and consulting corporation,
International Business Machine (IBM) while expanding local reach has predicted that cloud technology adoption
in Nigeria is expected to grow to about
80 percent by 2015.
At the commissioning
of new IBM innovation centre in Nigeria recently , the Country General Manager,
West Africa, Taiwo Otiti said the new facility was designed to accelerate
innovation for the country and West African business and IT skills.
He said that using the centre, clients, IT partners,
developers, entrepreneurs, venture
capitalists and academics can now access enhanced cloud capabilities and
extensive big data and analytics resources.
He explained that
adoption of cloud technology in Africa has reached a tipping point and
in In Nigeria alone, he said cloud usage is expected to more than double
to 80 percent of businesses in the next year, adding that the growing
proliferation of mobile phones and tablets is accelerating the opportunity to
interpret data patterns to anticipate needs and deliver improved services.
IBM noted that as the local demand for these types of
technologies and skills increases,
Africa is quickly moving to the center of global attention as the last
big emerging market of the current economic era.
Already, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) informed that
sub-Saharan Africa is set to be the world’s second fastest growing region with
projected economic growth of over six percent this year.
To take advantage of this explosive growth, Otitu said the
new centre will focus on providing
solutions that use Big Data & Analytics and cloud technologies to solve key local challenges such as improving
government services, digitising banking services and enhancing customer
centricity in telecommunications.
According to him, clients will be able to participate in
virtual
and in-person training, test out new products, network with peers
from around the world,
and receive mentoring and guidance from IT and business
experts. For example, he said the centre will provide clients hands-on access
to cloud-based industry solutions such as IBM Intelligent Operations designed
to provide cities, governments and utilities with a central command center for
the use of predictive analytics to enhance efficiency and manage all their
operations.
“Our investment in
this centre is in line with our strategy to help fuel growth in Nigeria’s IT
sector and to support the use of advanced technology service delivery for the
public sector and commercial business growth, particularly expansion in West
Africa.IBM Innovation Centres are designed to help clients envisage their
future, illustrated using IBM social, mobile, analytics and cloud solutions,
combined with industry focused experience and expertise. Through this centre,
we will bring the reach of IBM’s global capabilities and thought leadership
closer to local and
regional clients.”
He said IBM believes its new test and demonstration
environment will serve to cut the costs and complexity of assessing IT
solutions, but will also assist CIOs in presenting strong business cases for
advanced technology adoption.
Besides, he informed that IBM is already working with the
Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to create the world’s largest and
most comprehensive clinical dataset on cancer patients by building cancer
registries in developing nations, beginning in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Speaking at the event, Managing Director of Bankers
Warehouse Ltd, a non-bank financial services institution, Victor Hammond said,
“Innovation has become a key driver of positive change in developed economies,
and IBM has blazed the trail once again in this market with its new Innovation centre.
“I foresee this
facility becoming a key driver of technology innovation in Nigeria, helping to
promote the culture ofknowledge incubation and scientific enquiry in all
sectors of the national economy.”
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