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Delegates, Organiser Recount Experiences @ Cto 2006
(AllAfrica.com English Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Lagos, May 24, 2006 (This Day/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) --The Computer Telecommunications and Office Equipment show (CTO 2006) held last week in Lagos with various experiences by participants and attendees. The five-day event, from May 15 to 12 experienced a huge turnout although the weather was not that cooperative that week. A heavy downpour on the second and final days of the event did not affect the different programmes lined up by the organisers of the CTO although it affected the turnout.
THISDAY spoke with some conference participants and exhibitors.
The Senior Commercial Specialist, US Commercial Service, Lagos, Mr. Anayo Agu, the man generally regarded as being behind the CTO, this year's exhibition has proved that CTO has grown beyond what it used to be in the past as over 70 booths were accommodated within the complex.
Even at that he believed this does not measure appropriately the strength of the CTO as according to him, there are lot of places with a lot of space that can host the CTO but the infrastructure that will support the kind of things that take place at the CTO can't be found. "There is no place in Lagos today that can take the number of computers and that can provide the kind of power support needed to run it," Agu said.
He disclosed that for the past five years, the organiser had been looking for a venue to accommodate CTO without success. He added then, "so we think that building a multi purpose conference that can hold the kind of things we are doing is long over due. This is a challenge for business competition and not for us so the industry needs to collaborate and work on enlightenment and eduction because the number of that CTOs available is not up to 1/3 of what is offered generally in Nigeria."
On the kind of impact the exhibition is likely to have on the nation's economy, Agu said it would be positive.
According to him, "the last day of the exhibition which had over 1,000 students, we believe they are the leaders of tommorow. If we empower them for now, we will be sure that five years down the road, the economy is going to be better. Those aspiring to become entrepreneurs, if they can understand what technology can do in helping them create their own business, then we are already empowering the economy."
He said the aim of the CTO is to network SMEs, the banking industry and other players in the economy to address issues surrounding empowerment among others.
He said the general theme of the conference, Franchise, brings with it the necessary discipline which an enterprise, no matter the sector or size, desperately needs to succeed and to prosper.
"What we are simply saying is that every economy that has done well including the U.S will find as a common element for the small and Medium Enterprise (SME) and including its decision that supports them. Franchising is the most cost effective business model that can be used to empower SME.
"Franchising is a license somebody who has succeeded in a business gives to a young, retired person, or anybody who wants to do business without experience or knowledge which allows the person to replicate the success in her environment or community over a period of time upon an agreed sum of money."
He observed that in Nigeria, so many say thay can't access fund from the banks because they do not believe in the project they have is viable being that they are discipline enough as management expertise to do business. He argued however that Nigeria has enough franchise like Mr. Biggs, whom no bank will say does not have enough experience to back up the franchisee because they know that it will be successful no matter the locations.
"When we understand the concepts and principles, we can use the business model to grow our economy," he said.
On whether he would consider the CTO 2006 a Success, he had this to say: "Based on the indices, the number of exhibitors, quality of papers, seminars and the population, I will say it was. More than five hundred of the students present at the event with the intent to attend the seminar could not go into the venue as there was no space to take all."
On the Any challenges experienced so far, he said, "it has been quite great, challenging and very rewarding in terms of the various feedback we are getting."
An official of Card Centre Nigeria Limited, member of Chams group of companies, Chichi Eze said the CTO was an interesting exhibition, with so many people from all the states of the federation who had come to either gain knowledge, get information or purchase products.
"It is quite interesting that IT is growing at a peak rate with the fact that the place is crowded with students especially on Friday being the last day of the exhibition.
Most of the students were surprised and overwhelmed because they taught that the I.D cards we displayed in our stand are being imported from abroad rather they are now aware that they are being produced by Nigerians in Nigeria," she said.
According to her, when Card Centre staff spoke to most of the students who do not have I.D cards, they saw the need for having the I.D cards for schools .
Most of the students do not understand how the ATMs and e-kiosk displayed at the conference by Chams are operated which made the Charms staff emergency lecturers who taught them how they can be used and it's functions and values.
The Kiosk, she said, is for making e-payment like Belgium visa fee, PHCN bills, water rates and the like. It can also be used for buying and obtaining recharge cards.
It was her opion that the exhibition experienced a huge turn-out even as she promised to follow up on the contacts made by getting in-touch with them with the contacts left behind.
Chams, she explained, is made up of other companies for different product manufacturing which consist of Card centre, Super cards and Paymaster.
For Onyedika Ibeneme and official of IVEN, the participation of the company at the CTO 2006 was to show students that they can make a good living and do something substantial on the Internet without necessarily doing fraudulent things.
IVEN which he described as an innovative entrepreneurs network, is a new technology in IT industry called Blogg. "It is like an internet tool that enables people to create their own dynamic website that can be updated on a regular basis, as much 20 to 30 times per day. It is quite different from a regular website where people are unable to come back to the websites because they feel the information is stale," he said.
According to him, with the introduction of the blog, it enables the individual to update on regular basis and people can also earn extra income from the blog sites.
He said students of University of Lagos were in collaboration with the US Embassy as the official bloggers of the CTO 2006 were there to cover the event. We are here to show the world that Nigeria students can meet up with the world standard.
The CTO exhibition organised by the US Commercial Service, is the largest exhibition of its kind in West Africa.
It offers local companies and US representatives suppliers to shoiwcase the very best of American technology, equipment and services available in Nigeria for the sub-region.
The exhibition featured an all-day, special-event seminar on the first day, followed by the four-day exhibition with private seminars, workshops, product/service lauching and demonstrations.
The CTO focused on how Nigerian companies can leverage franchising to grow their businesses, contribute to job creation and serve as catalysts for implementing NEEDS. The US Commercial Service in collaboration with US Public Affairs Service (PAS), Nigerian Computer Society, Nigerian Internet Group (NIG), Nigeria Int'l Franchise Association, Zenith Int'l Bank Plc, Fidelity bank Plc, Pinnacle Communications, eshekels Ltd, Peak Potentials Inc., Spectracomm USA, Mentors Guild Nigeria, NITPA, ATCON, AfriHub, Teledom and other stakeholders hosted the year's exhibition.
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