HP expands direct presence in Africa

HP has expanded its direct presence in Africa to ten new countries to add onto the five markets the technology giant already operates in.
“In addition to our existing operations in Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, we have opened in Angola, Botswana, Congo, Ghana, Senegal, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda,” Chris Mukua, the new HP Uganda office country manager said in an email response.
HP officially opened shop in Uganda on September 19 while the other nine offices are at different stages of launch.
Mukua said the company’s strategy going forward is to create solutions tailored to the specific needs of high-growth markets, which have different market demands, infrastructure capabilities and socio-economic issues than those of mature markets.
“While each market has its own needs, we are finding that there are many similarities across our focus countries, such as government’s focus on improving education and healthcare or the need to develop a local talent pool of skilled IT workers,” he said.
“In Africa, we are targeting our programs to address issues like these through social innovation programs and university partnerships.
At the Uganda launch, HP said it has invested in a series of initiatives across Africa aimed at enabling governments and communities to leverage information technology to achieve their socio-economic goals and contribute to responsible, sustainable market growth and development.
Mukua said direct presence for commercial customers in Uganda and the other new markets will mean better access to HP’s broad portfolio of products and services.
This he said will allow commercial users to transform their businesses by taking advantage of improved IT infrastructure and a future based cloud computing and connectivity services.
Mukua said governments can leverage HP technology to drive economic growth and stability by modernizing the delivery of services in key areas such as education, healthcare and e-Government services.
Mukua said the company intends to broaden access of its consumer printer and PCs on the continent.
He said HP will also be introducing its cloud-based and connectivity technologies to the new markets it’s entering to help build a strong technology industry.
For HP product counterfeiters, Mukua said HP will work with law enforcement authorities to fight the availability of counterfeit products, which defraud customers, pose potential risks to consumers and bring negative economic impacts to the local economy.
Uganda’s Minister for Information and Communications Technology, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda welcomed HP’s direct presence in Uganda.
“We look forward to working with HP to drive improvement of our public services, such as healthcare and education, through the use of information technologies,” Rugunda said.
He said so far HP has been integral in the installation of an early HIV infant diagnosis program that helps save the lives at different hospitals in Uganda.
HP has been in Africa since 1994 with operations in seven countries.
Mukua said that as industries across Africa grow and more of the population is connected via mobile networks, there is opportunity for governments and business to apply IT to achieve socio-economic goals.
He said opening more offices across Africa is consistent with HP’s stated strategy of accelerating the company’s growth in the world’s fastest growing economies.
HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure at the convergence of the cloud and connectivity, creating seamless, secure, context-aware experiences for a connected world.
“We are intending to promote the full product portfolio in these markets,” Mukua said.
“HP is committed to investing for growth in Uganda,” said Stefanos Giourelis, managing director, HP Africa. “With its expanding economy, forward-looking leadership, and rapidly modernizing industries, Uganda represents an important part of HP’s growth strategy and Africa’s promising future.”

Airtel to invest US$100m in new Rwanda operation

Airtel has pledged to invest US$100 million in its newly awarded GSM and 3G license in Rwanda in the next three years.
Airtel, the African subsidiary of India’s Bharti, which it acquired in 2010 from the Zain group for $10.7 billion, was yesterday (Thursday) awarded the $30 million license in the Rwandan capital, Kigali on the sidelines of a Broadband Commission for Development conference that was attended by the World’s richest person, Carlos Slim.
Bharti Chairman, Sunil Bharti Mittal and the Rwanda President Paul Kagame made the announcement.
The Rwandan Government did not advertise or competitively appraise bidders for the license but instead appointed a technical team, which conducted the deal that ended up identifying Airtel.
Airtel before it became Zain has in the past missed out on an opportunity to set up shop in Rwanda. When Rwanda called for a third mobile license in 2008, then Zain put in a bid but was among other players that were beaten by Millicom International, which today is one of two mobile operators in the small East African nation, under the Tigo brand.
Airtel will now join MTN and Tigo, which have dominated the market since April this year when Rwandatel, a local telecom firm lost its mobile license after it emerged that it had failed to comply with license obligations.
Airtel, which already has a presence in Rwanda’s neighbours Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo is expected to heat up competition in the small country of 11 million people.
This is expected to lower the already falling call rates in a country where slightly over half of its population is poor and solely depends on subsistence agriculture.
Statistics from Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA), the telecommunications industry regulator indicate that mobile users have now reached 3,910,386 – something that has pushed mobile penetration to 38.4 percent.
MTN Rwanda leads the market with 2,824,874 users followed by Tigo with 1,300,159 customers as of July, according the telecom regulator.
With this license, Airtel’s African footprint will expand to 17 operations across the continent.
Airtel already has its presence in 16 countries of Africa, which include Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.