GRTech
FG commends Zinox commitment to local content adoption


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 16th 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.
GRTech
The Economics of Product Decisions: Applying Behavioural Economics and Game Theory in PM


Product managers often need to make a clear-cut decision: what should we build next? But the decisions which hold real importance go beyond adding features.
It’s about getting what makes people tick.
It goes way beyond what you would expect, getting into how people behave and using game theory.
These areas give insight into how users decide and how a product’s design can improve growth and keep people interested.
This is what Amarachi Nnochiri excels at. She is a senior product manager that knows how to use economics and psychology in her job.
She goes beyond simply managing product tasks; she develops whole product systems based on how users think, feel, and use a service. Her background shows how understanding human psychology and behaviour can give you a significant advantage in the competition.
One idea Amarachi uses is “loss aversion.” In this scenario, people feel worse about losing something than they feel good about gaining something of equal value.
She uses this when designing her products, mostly when it comes to pricing and getting people to try new strategies. For example, instead of giving a free trial, she might use a freemium setup where users get some stuff for free but could lose it if they don’t buy an upgrade. This pushes them to pay.
She might also use progress bars or streak counters, since losing progress gets people to keep using the product.
Amarachi also uses ideas from “game theory” to get how users act and change their behavior. She realizes that users are doing more than operating a product, but are playing a game with other users or with the product itself. She designs things that use ideas like “Nash equilibrium,” where nobody can do better by changing what they’re doing. For a social product, this could mean creating a system where doing something good for yourself (like inviting friends) also helps everyone else. This makes the whole thing stable and positive.
Her know-how in game theory also applies to making strong “network effects.” This means making stuff that gets better as more people use it.
A good example is a social network where each new user makes the product more helpful for everyone else. Amarachi endeavours to make things go viral on purpose, not just by luck.
She might use “commitment devices,” which are things that make a user stick with a behaviour by making them depend on it socially or functionally. For example, inviting team members to a tool makes the user stick with the platform and makes the product’s network stronger.
This way of thinking is better than just following the usual steps. By using these economic and psychological tricks, Amarachi develops competitive advantages which are difficult to replicate.
She knows that a company’s best thing is not just a simple interface, but a product that’s designed to sync with how people behave.
Her product choices aren’t just about the needs of users, but equally focus on motivating them to like the product, use it, and stick with it.
In her work, choosing a subscription price isn’t just a business thing; it’s about behaviour. Designing a social feed isn’t just about the content; it’s about balancing what people want and watching how they interact. Amarachi knows extensively about the economics of product decisions. This makes her products innovative and appealing to human behaviour, which leads to more use, keeps people around, and helps the product grow. She’s a leader in product management, where identifying customer desires is backed by understanding human motivation.


Technology Company, Globacom, has announced significant reductions in its International Direct Dialing (IDD) rates, making international calls more affordable for its existing and new customers across Nigeria.
Effective August 10, the new rates began applying to over 15 popular international destinations, including United States which will has moved to ₦30 per minute, down from ₦35, United Kingdom is now N350 from ₦400, while India also moved down to ₦40 from N45.
The rates for China, Saudi Arabia and Cameroon however recorded major reduction moving to N75, N300 and ₦700 respectively.
The reduction was also extended to African countries including Benin Republic which goes for ₦650 per minute, Niger Republic ₦750, Ghana ₦500, and Togo ₦650. United Arab Emirates also moved from ₦450 to ₦325, Germany to ₦550, Côte d’Ivoire ₦700, Libya ₦700, while calls to Malawi is now N1,100 from ₦1,200.
Glo aims to provide more value for its customers through these revised rates, encouraging them to make Glo their preferred network for international calls. New IDD bundles will also be introduced, offering frequent international callers even more attractive deals.
Globacom, which remained optimistic that frequent international callers will benefit immensely from the reductions in IDD bundles, enjoined customers to take advantage of the new rates to stay connected with friends and business associates across the globe.
GRTech
Oil subsidy removal freed up resources for infrastructure – Enugu Governor
By Orji Israel, South East Correspondent


The Executive Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, has attributed the financing of numerous infrastructure projects embarked by the state government to the oil subsidy removal policy of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.
He made this declaration at the Govermment House, Enugu, during a courtesy visit by a delegation of federal government led by Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, as part of activities lined up for the 2-day Citizens’ Engagement Series in the South East geo-political zone.
“For us in Enugu, we are able to accomplish all we promised our people during the campaign, thanks to the bold decision taken by President Bola Tinubu, which has freed up resources needed to execute humongous capital projects,” said Governor, while listing ongoing projects in the state, which include the construction of 7,000 classrooms, 3,300 hospital beds and 2,000-hectare of 260 farm estates across the 260 wards of the state.
Governor Mbah also pledged more support for the policies of the federal government, saying they are in the best interest of the people of the state.
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