A component of IT management called hardware service is dedicated to taking care of the actual hardware that makes up modern technology. The procedure in Nigeria includes purchasing digital hardware, keeping it maintained throughout its useful life, and properly getting rid of worn-out components.
Professional hardware asset managers work closely with numerous departments and stakeholders at all organizational levels.
The difficulty of locally manufacturing computer gear contributes to Nigeria’s digital divide. The cost of purchasing computer hardware on a wholesale level is passed on to Nigerians on a retail level, given that Nigeria’s original equipment manufacturers can only satisfy about 20% of the domestic demand for computer hardware and that China and the United States are Nigeria’s top suppliers of computer hardware.
At the recent StartupSouth8 event in Port Harcourt, Chinedu Onwunli, the Chief/Head of Technical and Operations at Advanced Engineering Center in Owerri, raised concerns over the sustained dependence on foreigners for Nigeria’s hardware market. He noted that this dependence makes the country and its AI visions very vulnerable to economic shocks in the West.
A few years ago, the federal government ordered all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to exclusively use ICT products and services that were developed or manufactured locally. However, it has become clear that the emphasis on promoting “local content” is primarily directed towards software solutions, with hardware creation still being largely disregarded because Nigeria strongly depends on China and the US.
Expert hardware asset providers have usually gone unseen in Nigeria. In a call between Techeconomy and Chinedu Onwunli, the CTO his company’s goals and major challenges operating in the market.
TE: What is the core of your service?
Chinedu Onwunli: We are an engineering firm specializing in product design, development, prototyping, and manufacturing for mass production. We use Computer Aided Design (CAD) applications to turn ideas into products.
These products within the CAD virtual environment are then run through Computer manufacturing applications and processes such as 3D printing for prototype production and Computer Numerical Code Machining for Dies, Molds, and other high-precision products. These are used to facilitate mass production when required.
TE: What are some of the challenges you have experienced in the market?
Chinedu Onwunli: There are many challenges by nature of the field we are in, which is a critical position in everything concerned with the hardware section of the economy.
Skill Gap
There is a startling lack of skills required for precision manufacturing. This is expected considering the cost of getting the proper equipment to train on, not to mention the cost of the training process. This issue is reflected across the entire hardware sector. So, people settle for the little, low precision, cheaper levels that can be easily learned and import the rest.
Running Cost
Another problem we have had to deal with is the cost of running an engineering firm, especially one affiliated with hardware development. So, the pieces of equipment are costly and wear with use. Higher precision equipment, which is needed for precision production is exponentially more expensive to purchase and is costly to even train on, especially in terms of auxiliary equipment and the cost of power to run them.
Zero Collaboration
Then a hardware community is absent. We have observed individuals who are into hardware and engineering. However, there is a lack of communication, and I could say a measure of engineering education that can take one from being a roadside mechanic (of which we have many) to an automobile engineer (of which we have very few). The sad part is the contentment most have to just eat, feed their families, and maybe buy a house in the village.
The absence of a community and practical engineering education blinds them to what could be, the potential in their hands so they are satisfied with the little they can see around. The few individuals there don’t know of those close to them, so someone in Anambra goes straight to Lagos, ignoring the possible solution that could be in Aba. Someone in Aba going to Lagos for what he could have gotten in Owerri or even the same Aba. So only a few know each other and are capable of leveraging the skills of others in the field
Foreign Depndence
External dependence and importation. This is an issue both on the national level and on the personal level. Customers we are to deal with immediately compare us to foreign companies and see them as better, and prefer their products and services. Products (software and services) are made on the framework of foreign products, hence increasing foreign dependence, which gives us an economically weak position as a nation while starving indigenous producers and manufacturers, which in turn dries up the market for us.
Power
Of course, we cannot neglect to mention one of the issues that plague manufacturers and industries, which is power. The absence and mostly erratic nature of our power supply force us to depend on alternate power sources ranging from petrol, diesel, and gas generators to solar installations. These have proven incapable of providing all the power we require to run optimally not to mention driving up the cost of running day by day.
TE: What should we expect from the company?
Chinedu Onwunli: We are not ones to identify issues and complain about them but work to level them, so we recognize the efforts of the government in alleviating some of the issues, but we are also taking actions, like working to create maker spaces (ours’ being the first of its kind in the nation) where we enlighten people on the possibilities and opportunities of CAD and CAM.
Also, we are developing hardware communities across the nation while also partnering with CIC, our sister firm, in training undergraduates and professors on industry-relevant skills.
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