Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Networking
    • PC Hardware
    • Small Business

    Microsoft an SMB Matchmaker in Africa

    By
    Peter Galli
    -
    June 7, 2007
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso—The United Nations Industrial Development Organization and Microsoft have announced a partnership to set up PC refurbishment centers in Africa.

      These centers are designed to help address the hardware, software and training needs of entrepreneurs with small and midsize businesses, with the ultimate goal of producing a refurbishment model that can be used as a best practice across Africa.

      The project is a joint initiative to help bridge the gap between large corporations disposing of their used computers and entrepreneurs in Africa who can use these PCs to help grow their operations.

      It will be piloted in Uganda, with the goal of creating local jobs, increasing information and communication technology skills development and improving the availability of technology for entrepreneurs.

      “The SMB space is vitally important to economic growth, and this announcement is about creating the biggest engine for refurbishing PCs in Africa in a green way. We are trying to create a framework for clean computing and a methodology for their disposal,” Orlando Ayala, the senior vice president of Microsofts Emerging Segments Marketing Division, told eWEEK in an interview here.

      Microsoft is hoping to correct a significant imbalance represented by the fact that, while the sourcing of these PCs remains a challenge here, the United States retires some 70 million computers a year. Ayala said that Microsoft sees a great opportunity to organize the industry through the right partnerships to fuel this model and also help create employment in the region, he said.

      /zimages/4/28571.gifTo read more about Microsofts Unlimited Potential initiative, click here.

      “The price of a refurbished computer loaded with its software and with a lifecycle of five years will drop significantly over time, compared with the current price of around $90,” Ayala said.

      Microsoft hopes that, by 2015, another billion people will have access to computers across the globe—which was a core component of its Unlimited Potential vision.

      By 2010, there will be about 1 billion decommissioned computers, and there is no reason that some of those should not be made available to allow small businesses across the African continent to thrive, he said.

      Speaking at the first African sub-regional Forum on ICT Best Practices here today, Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, the director-general of UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization), said at the first African sub-regional Forum on ICT Best Practices here June 7, that SMB enterprises are the cornerstone of any economy.

      /zimages/4/177369.jpg

      “This partnership creates opportunity to create IT skills in Africa, where IT penetration in homes, businesses and hospitals are the lowest in the world. That has to change. Computers are not a luxury for Africa, but rather a necessity if it is to become more competitive and breach the global divide,” he said.

      Next Page: A Great Demand for Affordable PCs

      A Great Demand for


      Affordable PCs”>

      The actual cost of refurbishing these computers will be determined through the Ugandan pilot, which will also serve to prove whether the project is commercially viable before being rolled out elsewhere in Africa, Yumkella said.

      Microsoft and UNIDO, a specialized agency of the United Nations that works towards improving the quality of life of the worlds poor by helping countries achieve sustainable industrial development, are “committed to developing a model for refurbishment that is sustainable, both economically and environmentally,” he said.

      For his part, Dr. Cheick Diarra, the chairman of Microsoft Africa, told attendees that there is a great demand for affordable computers in the SMB community in Africa.

      /zimages/4/28571.gifRead more here about new homes for old PCs.

      “Microsoft through its know-how with refurbished PC solutions, and UNIDO through its experience in entrepreneurial development, have the opportunity to help address this problem,” he said.

      The recycling initiative also has stringent quality criteria for refurbished computers, including warranties and after-sales service, while the refurbishment initiative will address the proper disposal and recycling of computers once they reach the end of their lifetime.

      Microsoft and UNIDO will also address the issue of e-waste by promoting regional recycling facilities in East Africa, Ayala said.

      /zimages/4/28571.gifClick here to read more about the challenges that abound in the quest to connect Africa.

      This latest initiative is the third collaborative program between the two organizations in less than a year to enable new avenues of economic and social empowerment through access to innovative technology.

      Barbara Kreissler, an industrial development officer at UNIDO in Vienna, Austria, told eWEEK in an interview that what is unique about this program is that the refurbishment will be done locally; and the goal is to create a center of excellence for refurbished computers for East Africa.

      /zimages/4/177294.jpg

      “This creates jobs in the region. Our goal is to create a business model around this. Also, as we are focusing on small and mid-sized enterprises, we believe the initiative will be successful and, lastly, we will set up e-waste recycling centers, where the components can be broken down into their elements and properly recycled or disposed of. This type of operation only exists in South Africa at this point,” she said.

      Asked whether UNIDO has similar relationships with other technology companies, Kreissler said that while it talked to them, its relationship with Microsoft is unique, but that UNIDO is interested in partnering with other tech firms.

      “In terms of the IT sector, our partnership with Microsoft is the most developed. But we are open to looking into partnering with other companies and we feel that this refurbishment partnership might steer us in that direction,” she said.

      /zimages/4/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for the latest news in desktop and notebook computing.

      Peter Galli
      Peter Galli has been a financial/technology reporter for 12 years at leading publications in South Africa, the UK and the US. He has been Investment Editor of South Africa's Business Day Newspaper, the sister publication of the Financial Times of London.He was also Group Financial Communications Manager for First National Bank, the second largest banking group in South Africa before moving on to become Executive News Editor of Business Report, the largest daily financial newspaper in South Africa, owned by the global Independent Newspapers group.He was responsible for a national reporting team of 20 based in four bureaus. He also edited and contributed to its weekly technology page, and launched a financial and technology radio service supplying daily news bulletins to the national broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, which were then distributed to some 50 radio stations across the country.He was then transferred to San Francisco as Business Report's U.S. Correspondent to cover Silicon Valley, trade and finance between the US, Europe and emerging markets like South Africa. After serving that role for more than two years, he joined eWeek as a Senior Editor, covering software platforms in August 2000.He has comprehensively covered Microsoft and its Windows and .Net platforms, as well as the many legal challenges it has faced. He has also focused on Sun Microsystems and its Solaris operating environment, Java and Unix offerings. He covers developments in the open source community, particularly around the Linux kernel and the effects it will have on the enterprise.He has written extensively about new products for the Linux and Unix platforms, the development of open standards and critically looked at the potential Linux has to offer an alternative operating system and platform to Windows, .Net and Unix-based solutions like Solaris.His interviews with senior industry executives include Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Linus Torvalds, the original developer of the Linux operating system, Sun CEO Scot McNealy, and Bill Zeitler, a senior vice president at IBM.For numerous examples of his writing you can search under his name at the eWEEK Website at www.eweek.com.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×