An indigenous technology company, Zinox Computers, has strengthened its partnership with Intel Corporation, a global computer chips and hardware manufacturer, to further advance Information Technology development in Nigeria.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Zinox head office in Lagos, on Friday, the Global Vice President, Intel Corporation, Mr. Greg Pearson, said Intel was pleased to partner with Zinox, a regional leader with the capacities to use technology to drive development nationally and internationally. Expressing enthusiasm for the Nigerian hardware industry, Pearson said that as a long standing member of the Intel Diamond Club, Zinox would continue to enjoy information and technical exchanges to make the company more relevant to the economy.
According to him, the long technical relationship between Zinox and Intel is sustained through the shared core values of innovation, trust and grass roots relevance.
The main thrust of the partnership, he said, was to continually seek to address the needs of consumers in different strata, ranging from individuals in the education sector to ancillary sectors in the advanced technology.
The Chairman, Zinox Technologies, Mr. Leo Stan Ekeh, said the partnership with Intel was an endorsement of the world-class standards in production and corporate governance that had been put in place by Zinox.
He said Zinox shared the Intel’s passion for adequately empowering the education sector.
He also said Zinox had been responsible for the computerisation of over 65 per cent of the tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
Recently, he said, Zinox developed and deployed the largest e-Learning suite in Africa solely for the purpose of providing affordable access to content for the education sector.
The Zinox world-class hub, which went live recently would bring relief to many educational institutions beginning from April 2013 when Zinox streams e- Content to educational institutions at half the present cost, Ekeh said.
The Zinox boss pledged that Zinox would continue to domesticate world-class products as a bridge to the full transfer of technology.
Ekeh also said the Zinox ultra modern factory would begin production before the end of March.
He noted that only the Federal Government could, through mandatory patronage, ensure the sustainability of the digital assembly plant that Zinox was installing.
The Zinox boss said it was of necessity that the government should immediately commence the subsidy of computer ownership for all students in tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
He argued that empowering the young people with IT equipment was a better way of ensuring a future Nigeria that could provide for its people, sustain the unity and stability of the country and lead the rest of Africa.
“Until this is done, democracy dividends cannot be said to have been delivered,” Ekeh said.
Zinox Computers, which was set up in 2001, is the largest Intel partner in sub-Saharan Africa and participates in the Intel Inside programme, in addition to being a member of the Intel Diamond Club.