Surjoodeen: Developing AI Skills, Blockchain Technologies Will Boost Nigeria’s Economy
HP’s Managing Director, Southern and Central Africa, Mr. Yesh Surjoodeen, speaks about the challenges in tech industry, strategic investments in digital infrastructure, and the need for focused skills development in emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, in order to drive digital transformation in Nigeria and Africa. Emma Okonji presents the excerpts:
What are some of the challenges facing Nigeria’s tech industry and how can HP technologies address them?
The challenges are similar across Africa and not limited to Nigeria alone, but certainly on different scales. Infrastructure gap across African markets is one area that we need to recognise as being one of the challenges facing the tech industry. I however believe there are lots of solutions out there to address the infrastructure gap challenge.
Again, there is limited access to reliable internet and insufficient power is hindering growth. When we talk specifically about solutions, we could look at the hardware and tech solutions that we can provide as HP, and one of them is introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) PC that we brought into our portfolio. It allows us to be less reliant on using a lot of information over the cloud but having some ability to be able to do some offline processing.
Another area of challenge is the skill shortage and as a company, HP can help develop skills for professionals, especially now that the world is talking about emerging technologies and the climate constraints. There is lack of skilled professionals in emerging technologies. HP’s educational initiatives like HP LIFE can bridge this gap by providing essential training. Paired with HP’s EdTech Fellowship, in partnership with Cambridge University, it can help educators, policy makers among others, to equip them with skills needed to integrate digital learning into the classroom to equip students with the digital skills needed for employment.
Another challenge is funding constraints. Many startups struggle to secure funding. HP can support innovation through partnerships and programmes that connect startups with investors such as the HP Digital Equity Accelerator, which is currently open for entries and we encourage Nigerian non-profits that are driving the country’s digital equity agenda forward to apply.
How can strategic investments in digital infrastructure and innovation hubs accelerate Nigeria’s transformation into a premier tech hub?
This is definitely a journey, because when we talk about strategic investments it’s not about one kind of approach. I see strategic investments as more of creating a community first, which I think it’s a DNA within Africa. It’s not just about competing, but it’s about how we as collective industries can work together, similar to Silicon Valley model, where we can all understand together that there’s a longer journey ahead of us and we need to bring our core technology solutions to bear and also collaborate with the infrastructure players on how we can drive innovation beyond the borders of Nigeria.
It is not enough to create an ecosystem through partnership, but also giving access to resources and continuing investing to enhance digital infrastructure.
Now to address the acceleration of Nigeria’s transformation into a premier tech hub, there will be need to create ecosystems, enable access to resources and address global competiveness.
Investment in innovation hubs can foster collaboration among startups, educational institutions, and corporates, similar to the Silicon Valley model. HP’s suite of technology solutions equips businesses with the necessary infrastructure to collaborate with stakeholders from anywhere, ensuring conversations and work continues beyond the boundaries of a physical office or meeting room.
By enhancing digital infrastructure, Nigeria can provide startups with necessary resources like high-speed internet and affordable workspaces, driving innovation. Furthermore, learning and skills development resources are crucial for the successful growth and development of innovation hubs. With HP’s LIFE program, we are helping small business owners and entrepreneurs navigate the growth of their business. So, strong digital infrastructure positions Nigeria as an attractive destination for foreign investment and talent, essential for becoming a premier tech hub.
What roles do partnerships between HP, government agencies, and private sector players have in driving Nigeria’s digital economy forward?
This is a very crucial point for Africa as a whole, since partnerships need to first evolve and it starts with discussions among the partners. I think that’s really important having like-minded interested parties sit around the table and talk about the need for the partnership. Today, on the tech horizon, we’ve got emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, Big Data and Machine Learning that are key topics being used in many organisations. As a tech company we’ve got to play a part in addressing issues emanating from AI Blockchain and cybersecurity, and think of how we can get the partnerships within government agencies to try and accelerate policies so that we may open up and be a lot more fluid and approachable and not to be afraid of the challenges posed by emerging technologies.
So there is need for collaboration to drive growth. Partnerships between HP, government, and private sector can drive initiatives that build digital infrastructure and support policy development.
Collaborating on projects, such as HP’s initiatives in EdTech, can stimulate local innovation while providing access to global best practices. HP’s Edtech Fellowship in partnership with Cambridge University, equips policymakers with the skills and knowledge to move the needle for innovation, ensuring that digitization is freely accessible and the business environment is able to foster these developments.
In the area of resource mobilization, partnerships can help pool resources for large-scale projects that individual entities may find challenging to fund alone. Furthermore, there is need to enable smaller operations and businesses to gain access to insights from industry leaders, equipping them with the knowledge to enhance their technology ecosystem.
From the ongoing initiatives of HP, the company has been able to bring AI into the picture, and we will bring AI not just in a classroom environment, but also into the entire gaming ecosystem.
How can focused skills development programmess in emerging technologies like AI, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity enhance Nigeria’s competitiveness in the digital economy?
Nigeria’s competitiveness in the digital economy can be enhanced in many ways, especially if you look at it from a tech environment, because definitely tech is the enabler. It is really important because it’s evolving faster then we can keep up which is really nice because that means ultimately it stimulates innovation. Now innovation and Nigeria are synonymous. There has always been this interest and excitement in the adoption of tech, and that has been really something that is quite comfortable with the Nigerian community and perhaps for all youth in Africa. So the first part is that it’s evolving, it’s accelerating faster.
Programs focused on AI, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity can equip the youth with relevant skills to meet global demand. For example, our HP Read initiative is bringing skills of the future to the classroom to ensure that the next generation can continue to drive economies forward. Our HP Gaming Garage has also recently included AI into its curriculum, as we recognise the synergistic relationship between AI and the gaming sector. HP’s commitment to fostering entrepreneurial learning through initiatives can drive innovation in these sectors, such as the HP LIFE program. Upskilling the workforce ensures that Nigeria remains competitive and able to attract international tech firms looking for skilled talent.
I spoke earlier about the fellowship that we have with Cambridge University, and we can explore this further into that environment where we can firstly share that information to a lot of people within Nigeria and make them understand that we have the tools but then we also have the ability to mobilize our resources. So let’s pull all of these resources together let’s get into a situation where we can go for large-scale projects. So it doesn’t mean how small an organization is and how big it is. I think the problems are world-class problems and I think that it doesn’t matter if you’re a small operator, provided you can really get access and insights from us in terms of how we can enhance the technology ecosystem. So I think that the training that we provide and the information we give on skills development isn’t limited to just users but it’s also to partner community. For HP we’re spending a lot of time today building AI into our tools processes and also giving insight to our partners on how better to scale their operations and how better they can address their customers’ needs. I think it’s about first taking this opportunity, ingesting it within your business like we’re doing at HP. We’re learning and I think we’ll always be in a learning environment. We are taking this further to create the value for businesses and propagate it in terms of converting that business into customer and revenue opportunities
How can HP’s technologies support the growth of Nigeria’s startup ecosystem and entrepreneurship?
There are different ways to translate what we would call support for startups. I think it’s first about education for the startups, and knowing what’s available and also understanding the trends in the startups, but then the third one is also being able to offer affordable solutions. So one is about the education, secondly is about the access to the resources and understanding how we can bring that hardware and those solutions to businesses.
HP can offer cost-effective tech solutions for startups, lowering barriers to entry and operational costs. For example, our Smart Tank range of printers helps small businesses meet their printing needs, through providing a cost-effective printing solution. Additionally, HP applications enable small business owners to access their printer from anywhere, meaning they can print on the go.
Through educational programs, HP can help equip entrepreneurs with essential business and tech skills. The HP LIFE program is evidence of the work we do to equip small business owners with the knowledge and skills to effectively start and scale their business – ensuring these organisations are positively contributing to the economy.
Perhaps the biggest thing we can do for startups in terms of support is access to these resources that I spoke about. I’ve mentioned just maybe one or two of these educational programmes but, I think there’s a lot more work groups and discussions that need to go on with startups.
We have HP solutions that are not necessarily for HP technology and are not limited to the hardware. There’s a lot of stuff that we’re doing on security solutions and we can help with that security solutions. It’s really about protecting the vulnerability of startups so in some cases startups may need not only to be able to source and acquire product and information but they also need to protect themselves and so we can support the growth of the startups by also giving proper endpoint security devices and making sure that these businesses are safe and that we can help them manage their sensitive data.
HP’s Wolf Security solutions protect small businesses from threat actors looking to ‘make a quick buck’ off their vulnerability. Endpoint security continues to be a key solution for businesses of all sizes to prevent cyber criminals from accessing sensitive data and keeping the business operational.
What impact will Nigeria’s digital transformation have on its economy, and how can HP’s technologies contribute to this growth?
HP’s technologies will help businesses streamline processes across various sectors, enhancing productivity and competitiveness, while ensuring that workers have access to the technology solutions needed to solve any size of challenges.
A robust digital economy positions Nigeria to compete in global markets, driving economic growth and innovation. Technology partners will be key to driving Nigeria’s technology landscape forward, with HP firmly committed to play our part in realizing the economy’s true potential.
What are the potential risks and challenges associated with Nigeria’s digital transformation, and how can HP’s technologies help mitigate them?
Some of the potential risks include cybersecurity risk, digital divide and regulatory challenge. As digitalisation increases, so do cyber threats. HP’s cybersecurity solutions, in the shape of Wolf Security, can help mitigate these risks for businesses of all sizes.
In the area of digital divide, ensuring equitable access to technology is vital to reduce the gap between those that are digital literate and those who aren’t granted the opportunity to learn digital literacy. HP’s initiatives can address disparities in tech access and literacy, and our collaboration with NABU will help a lot in this area.
For regulatory challenges, navigating regulations can be complex. So partnerships can streamline compliance and promote best practices. What sets HP apart is that we partner with our clients throughout the transformation journey – guiding and consulting on the best approach at every step on their journey.
