allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Micro Enterprises, Education Get N28m Assistance From HP

allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Micro Enterprises, Education Get N28m Assistance From HP


Micro Enterprises, Education Get N28m Assistance From HP

This Day (Lagos)
NEWS
July 25, 2005
Posted to the web July 26, 2005

By Crusoe Osagie
Lagos

Micro entrepreneurs and students in Nigeria will soon benefit from an over $200,000 (about N28 million) project sponsored by Hewlett Packard (HP) Nigeria. It is aimed at empowering them to be more useful to the society.

To actualise this noble objective, HP has set up two major projects, including Project MEAP (Micro Enterprise Acceleration Program) as well as the building of an advanced computing and telecenter, at the University of Ibadan.

For MEAP, HP has partnered with Pan African University's department of Enterprise Development Services, to create a MEAP Center, located at Lagos Business School's Victoria Island campus, to enable enterprises in underserved communities access technology, training and business coaching, in order to accelerate and sustain business growth and economic opportunity.

Towards this program, the world leading IT solution provider has donated equipment and services worth over $120,000. Before now, HP Nigeria makes several donations a year in equipment and services to NGO's, educational institutions, and government agencies, but decided to take a more robust approach that is expected to make a more significant and sustainable impact in the community.

HP Managing Director, Mr. Maduka Emelife who disclosed this on Tuesday (19/7/05) at the official signing ceremony flagging off the HP MEAP project, noted that by partnering with local training and business development service providers, like The Pan-African University who are already working with micro enterprises, HP would more immediately and directly help micro enterprises learn how to apply the power of information and communications technology to grow and sustain their businesses through its MEAP.

According to him, today's micro enterprises are tomorrow's corporations, provided they are nurtured and developed. "We believe that the combination of HP's sponsorship and Pan African university's execution will make a significant impact in the growth cycle of these micro enterprises", Emelife said, just as he defined micro enterprises, for the purpose of this program, as businesses with up to 10 employees that typically require minimal start-up costs.

In his response at the signing ceremony, Professor Albert Alos - Vice Chancellor of the Pan African University thanked HP for recognizing the work the university is doing with micro enterprises, and for choosing to partner with it to deliver this first-of-its-kind program in Nigeria. He restated the university's commitment in working closely with HP to execute on this program.

Also, Chioma Iwuchukwu, Channel Manager, HP added that "over the last several years, as part of e-inclusion, HP has engaged with partners and communities around the globe to learn how information and communications technology tools and training can transform the lives of people in both rural and urban communities. She listed key benefits for the micro enterprises who participate in the program to include access to state of the art HP technology at HP MEAP Centre, managed and staffed by local training and business development service providers, and practical, hands-on training on how to use information and communications technology to be more productive and grow their businesses faster.

For the second program, which will be branded HP+IEEE Telecenter, HP is partnering with the department of Electrical Electronics Engineering at the University of Ibadan to build an advanced computing and telecenter, for the purpose of promoting computer education at the University of Ibadan, and nearby communities. The center, which is costing HP over $80,000 in equipment and services, is a state of the art facility.

The 60-seat computer centre would provide engineering students at the institution with modern computers and better access to the Internet. This, according to Emelife, will change the way they study. It will also provide the students as well as their community with countless new educational opportunities to prepare them for the demands of the 21st century. The centre is complete with full connectivity, generators, specialised software, access to a digital lab, and other HP knowledge centers for the training of young Nigerian engineers.

"The equipment provided to IEEE by HP will open up many doors for our students," said Dr. Adeboye Olatunbosun of the University of Ibadan. "With this new equipment, our students, faculty, alumni and our surrounding community will have greater access to knowledge and opportunities from around the world," he added.

While explaining HP's philanthropy initiative in the context of these two projects, Emelife said, "HP has long believed that doing good is good business. The mission of HP's world-wide e-inclusion initiative is to provide people access to greater social and economic opportunities by closing the gap between technology-empowered and technology-excluded communities, with the end result to enable sustainability for the communities and HP".




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