HP African has promised to assist the Computer and Allied Product Dealers Association of Nigeria to develop a business model loaded with entrepreneurial skills that will have impact on their business.
CAPDAN is the umbrella body of companies, artisans and their likes that do business in the popular technology products and services market located in Ikeja, Lagos South West Nigeria.
Also known as Computer Village, it is often described as the fastest and largest single technology goods and services market in Africa with well over 3000 traders including companies.
The Managing Director, HP Africa, Mr. David Rozzio and the Managing Director of HP Nigeria, Mrs. Ify Afe made the promise when the duo lead HP Africa team to the Computer Village on courtesy visit.
Rozzio told technology writers in an interview after an interactive session with businessmen at the CAPDAN Secretariat that beyond being business partners, HP Africa interested in how they can help members of the association to develop business models that will help their business grow.
According to him, HP Africa has some modules that they can use to help the traders to develop their business noting that HP Africa has a training program for SMEs and local entrepreneurs in the countries where they do their business.
While describing the market as a force to reckon with, Afe noted that HP has well over 60 % of the PC market share while for the printers market it about 80 % adding that HP is greatly concern about the impact of counterfeit and sub-standard consumable in the market.
She disclosed that HP runs ant-counterfeit campaign and anti-counterfeit action stressing that as a company, HP takes serious pride in the brand equity and the level of research that has gone into every of its products.
“The value we sell is extremely important to us, so when we see a situation where there is a copy of our product that does not carry close to the promise that we own that affects our business because it carries our stamp”, she stated.
According to her, the last thing that HP will want to experience as a company is for buyer or user to fall victim of any kind of manipulation, saying, “That is why it is important to keep our products genuine and working with CAPDAN we can bring a significant level of reduction to the act of counterfeiting.”
Afe promised that HP intends to make technical supports on its products simpler stating that presently HP offers support through authorised service partners and other partners who carry out the services on its behalf.
She said: “we have been able to do that to the best of our ability, which is very good but what we have to look at is developing services, capacity and skills outside support services.There is a huge amount of capacity here which we can work together with them to develop so that we don’t have to limit ourselves to our appointees.”
She further disclosed that HP also intends to bring such skills to support services providers across Nigeria saying that is the promise for development of the capacity is what HP will focus and it is the take-home point from its engagement with the members of CAPDAN.
Earlier while welcoming the HP Africa team, the CAPDAN President, Mr. Adeniyi Ojikutu proposed an HP Week as part of a new strategy of deepening its relationship and partnership with HP noting that the relationship is not just about selling products but developing the talents of the traders to add value to the HP brand.
He said that CAPDAN is concern about having a knowledge driven membership adding that it is worthy of note that HP has agreed to assist in that aspect.
Isaiah Erhiawarien, Nigeria
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