Traffic, the gridlock of people, colorful umbrellas, Phone and laptops repairers, Stacks of laptops, busy shops; these are landmarks that will inform you that you currently are in the middle of West Africa’s largest ICT hub.
The Ikeja computer village popularly known as “Computer village,” houses over 3,000 Information Technology (IT) SMEs. In a technology community that matches anywhere on the continent.
Also loosely referred to as the Silicon Valley of Nigeria, Computer village, according to the president of the Computer and Allied Products Dealers Association of Nigeria, Ojikutu Adeniyi, generates NGN 1.5 Bn (USD 4,166,666) daily, hosting about 1 million people every day.
Just like everything amazing, the Computer village is not without its challenges. Prominent among these challenges is how overcrowded and unstructured some aspect of the market can be.
This lack of structure leaves a loophole tricksters often exploit for those who are new to computer village.
There is a public notion that Computer village is a place where you can lose your valuable if not careful.
Mr. Olufemi Awoyemi, CEO of Proshare, believed the “Computer Village,” has come to a critical stage, where it has to serve the critical sectors of the economy like Agriculture, education, by being more “innovative” in its business model.
An internet-driven computer village
Computer village is one of the busiest markets in West Africa, with over 1 million people visiting the market every day.
With the advancement in technology and a relative prominence in the use of the internet, an internet portal where merchants and customers can meet and transact business without necessarily being physically present will serve as a profitable means of expanding the reach of the already enormous market.
While many of the merchants already have a business page/profile on various social media with the aim to meet and transact business with customers over the internet, Computer village will do better with a unified internet portal which has the following
1. A directory
The directory will serve as a yellow page for customers to locate shops where they can find the product or service they seek. This can also be complemented with a section that shows the overall rating of the business. This will militate against the activities of touts who prey on unsuspecting customers.
2. A call center
A call center that can attend to all queries relating to the market and the internet portal will recover the integrity of the market.
3. A logistics unit
A logistic unit that can handle the transportation of products purchased from the market to any part of the world will help improve the reach of the market.
If you are going to Computer Village, the chances are that you would be told to hold your purse or bag very close to you and shine your eye. An internet portal can efficiently curb this if you can handle your transactions without going to the market in the first place.
