Director General of the Nigeria Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has hailed Zinox as an indigenous technology giant with the human capital potential and technological prowess to grow the adoption of local content in Nigeria.
Dr. Pantami, who paid a working visit to the headquarters of the company in Gbagada, Lagos on Friday, November 16, 2018, expressed his delight with the massive infrastructure and technological facilities on display, noting that Zinox has the capacity to rival other global tech giants and extend its products and solutions beyond Nigeria to other markets.
Accompanying the DG was a technical entourage including Director e-Government Development and Regulatory, Dr. Vincent Olatunji; Director, IT Infrastructure Solutions, Dr. Usman Gambo Abdulahi and National Coordinator – ONC, Barr. Kasim Shodangi. Other members of the entourage include Mrs Chioma Oke-Agugo, Mr. Yusuf Yisa-Doko and two members of the media team.
“I am impressed with the huge capabilities, human and material resources and technological innovation available here in Zinox, which has remained an unassuming indigenous company that has recorded so many landmark strides in the Information and Communications Technology sector,” Dr. Pantami stated.
“In addition to the excellent work done with INEC in improving the electoral process in Nigeria, we are also aware of the acceptance of Zinox products in other countries which they have been exported to and in major multinationals operating here such as Shell, Total, Chevron, among others.
“The Federal Government is eager to correct the imbalance in the consumption of local content by encouraging and supporting indigenous capacities in the IT sector. We are focused not only on increasing local content adoption but also ensuring that a major percentage of our indigenous technology software and products are exported to other African countries. Zinox possesses the resources, products, human capital and sheer equipment capacity to take the lead in this area.”
The NITDA DG who was led on a guided tour of the company by the Chairman, Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh, witnessed first-hand the various infrastructure and facilities within the premises including the digital computer hardware manufacturing and assembly plant, telecoms e-Hub unit, Data Centre, bandwidth aggregation and digital security infrastructures, warehousing facilities as well as after-sales service and support centre, among others.
“From what I have seen today, I am confident that, given the right support from the government, Zinox can play a significant role in putting Nigeria on the global technology map. You can count on my support and that of the entire agency in this regard,” he enthused.
Also speaking, Ekeh who expressed appreciation to the NITDA helmsman for accommodating the visit within his busy schedule, disclosed that the Zinox Group remains the single largest 360 degrees ICT conglomerate in the sub-region with advanced competencies in the entire spectrum of the sector, ranging from hardware manufacturing, distribution, integrated ICT solutions, Telecoms, retail, world class support and much more with offices in many other countries and hubs in four continents.
He also reiterated the Group’s commitment to advancing local content adoption within Nigeria and beyond through the creative design and manufacture of digital products which anticipate the yearning and taste of the future consumer.
“We are an indigenous technology group that is absolutely committed to local content development and adoption. This has for several years informed our business practices as well as the design and manufacture of our products and solutions. While Zinox Technologies Ltd. as a company clocked 17 in October, the Group itself has been in the business of technology for over 32 years and not once have we embarked on retrenchments, even in the face of some of the difficult and challenging business cycles. Instead, we have taken the pains and even recently, increased staff salaries across board,” he disclosed.
The serial digital entrepreneur also seized the opportunity to plead for more institutional support and level playing ground for Nigerian tech companies.
“Government needs to come to the aid of tech companies in the country by giving them the wings to fly and achieve more through tax breaks or holidays and other incentives. The technology sector is one of the biggest employers of labour as entry requirements is not as stringent, when compared to other sectors. Presently, we face huge challenges in clearing our shipments and other technological components due to the heavy congestion at the ports. This has resulted in crippling demurrages and a tripling of transportation costs from the ports to our production plants and offices over the past few months, making it harder to compete and survive. The Government needs to find a solution to these issues.”
While presenting the Zinox Core i7 and GTX Legacy – two products from the Zinox Future Visions stable – to the DG, Ekeh restated his commitment and support for the government’s drive to create more employment opportunities for millions of Nigerians, while urging the media to partner with the agency in transforming the country’s communications narrative for the benefit of all.
With close to two decades of pioneering efforts and excellent service delivery, Zinox enjoys widespread acclaim as Nigeria’s foremost ICT Company. In addition to its enviable status as pioneer manufacturers of Nigeria’s first internationally certified branded computers and mobile devices, the company has deployed some of the biggest projects in the continent, while institutionalizing high-end ICT solutions which have contributed in moving the sector and the Nigerian economy to the next level.
