Certified Computer Manufacturers of Nigeria (CCMON), an organisation of local PC assemblers in Nigeria has been formed to support the Federal government’s local content in information, communication, technology (ICT) policy.
Nigeria’s leading computer manufacturing companies certified by the government through the Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), including local PC assemblers such as Brian Integrated Systems, BETA computers, OMATEK computers, VEDA technologies and ZINOX Technologies recently formed this new organisation with the aim of promoting the local content policy to achieve commendable results and growth of Nigeria’s ICT industry.
The coordinator of CCMON, Bode Pedro, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of VEDA technologies said that the coming together of local OEMs has been in the pipeline for quite some time, adding that now is the right time for the synergy because of the renewed impetus of the government towards the support and growth of local Nigerian content in ICT.
“The main objectives of CCMON include working with all relevant stakeholders to grow the capacity of Nigerian computer manufacturers that will generate increased employment, strengthen the Naira and grow our local economy”, he said.
In meeting these objectives, he said that the group had pledged to work closely with NITDA, Office for Nigerian Content in Information Technology (ONC), the Ministry of Communication and the office of the Vice President (VP) that heads the nation’s economic team to ensure that the laudable objectives of the governments guidelines on local content adoption in ICT is properly implemented to the benefit of the country.
It would be recalled that the drive to encourage and support local manufacturers of computers started back in 2002 when the then president Olusegun Obasanjo, through the office of the Secretary of the Government, issued a circular dated 7th of March, 2002, to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies, that only locally manufactured computers, certified to be of acceptable quality standard should be patronised by all Federal establishments.
This directive was followed up during the last government with the establishment of the ONC to drive this process deeper to ensure increased implementation monitoring, compliance and value addition to all stakeholders, especially the MDAs who are the major consumers whose satisfaction are uppermost in the whole value chain.
With the coming of CCMON, it is now expected that the local PCs manufactures will have a unified platform to drive their operations to the highest international quality standards that will lead to increased capacity to meet local demand and export to other African countries.
JUMOKE AKIYODE
