Phoenix Distribution, a leading broad-based distributor on the African continent, has opened a new office in Nigeria to better serve a growing market. Currently, the company has offices in South Africa, the UK, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Kenya.
Phoenix Distribution has seen increased interest in technology products, especially those related to information security, in Nigeria, and Simon Campbell-Young, CEO of Phoenix Distribution, believes technology and information security products will be in high demand due to Nigeria's high cybercrime rate. The company was recently appointed the official Nigerian distributor of Kaspersky Lab products, to service this growing need.
"Our growing African customer base has allowed us to pinpoint gaps in the region and respond accordingly," says Campbell-Young.
Recently, National Security Advisor to the Nigerian President, Sambo Dasuki, identified the country as one of the leading cyber crime perpetrators in the world. Last year he spoke at the presentation of a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Blueprint for Nigeria and Stakeholders Engagement Workshop, organised by National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in Abuja, where he advised all stakeholders to work diligently to contain the current security challenges associated with the use of Internet and other electronic devices.
More recently, President Goodluck Jonathan proposed a death sentence for cyber criminals hacking into the Critical National Information Infrastructure or into computer networks resulting in the loss of lives. The proposal is outlined in the Cyber Crime Bill 2013, which is currently before the House of Representatives.
"There is no doubt cyber crime is a serious problem in Nigeria," says Campbell-Young. "Making Kaspersky Lab's consumer and corporate products available to Nigerian businesses and individuals will help combat this growing dilemma."
Phoenix Distribution's Nigerian office will work alongside its existing agencies across east and central Africa to support the growth it has been seeing across the region.
"As a distribution business, we understand how vital it is to be close to our partners' markets in order to understand their needs better. This ensures we are adding value to their businesses, and in turn, their customers," explains Campbell-Young. "Our east African footprint has grown to the extent that our customers needed simpler and more direct access to our products, and the Nigerian office is already proving a key link in the chain for our customers in the region."
He adds that Africa is continuously embracing new technologies and investing in new infrastructure, and this trend is likely to continue. "Phoenix required a stronger presence in Nigeria to provide the necessary support to our partners and customers in the region, and to better help them achieve their goals."
Statistics show that the rate of return on foreign investment in Africa is higher than in any other developing region, Campell-Young points out. "Investors and companies alike are all bullish about Africa. More and more international organisations are opening offices on the continent, foreign investment is pouring into the region, and stock markets are showing strong performances. Companies not investing in Africa risk being left behind. Leaders like Phoenix recognise these opportunities, and want to establish long-term relationships, establish brands and create new markets. I believe the success we are seeing on the continent is proof of the effectiveness of our approach."
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