Microsoft devices work for you -Onyeje

Special Guest:

The General Manager of Microsoft Anglophone West Africa, Emmanuel Onyeje in this exclusive interview with Group Executive Editor, DigitalSENSE Business News, Remmy Nweke; said that Microsoft mobile devices work for everybody. He also shared some insights about the Imagine Cup and Intellectual Property in the movie, music and software industries.

Excerpts:

You have been around for a while; can you share some insight about what Microsoft is all about in West Africa?

FOR Microsoft, what we are trying to do is that, we try to enable businesses, both large, small and mediums, consumers, individuals, governments and educationist – to be able to use and examine our products. We are looking at a situation where we will provide continuous cloud policy to every person and every business in our region; that’s our goal.

Emma Onyeje, GM Microsoft West Africa speaking to DSBNews

More people would continue to have access to their services, their data and application, to connect with people in the western world life and then their personal life. And that has been done, majorly through our partners in the region. We are working with close to 2,000 partners in the region.

Getting to the government, how has your activity with government been, I know as an international organization it may not be easy in terms of trying to bring in programmes from a global perspective?

We have worked with governments; we have worked with different organizations. We have worked with bodies like the Ministry of Communications Technology, talking about how we will help innovation to flourish in Nigeria. How do we get devices in the hands of the students and every individual so that technology can actually be taking up in Nigeria. We have worked with other organizations like the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) to actually help reduce piracy, because piracy affects our music, movie and software industries. I think what we have been trying to do is not just expecting government to get in the way but to partner government in creating structures to allow all sectors to be productive and transparent, and we need all the institutions of government to make that work.

Of course the government is also bringing in consumer market club partners to make all government institutions in all sectors to be more productive.

What has Microsoft been doing with the Imagine Cup? Can you share some insight?

The Imagine Cup is what we do every year. For last year, it was held in Australia, and for next year, it’s going to be held in Russia.

We sent one team to Australia, and it’s proved to be doing very well, I think is very positive and I also think we are going to have more success to come around. You are the first to know that we are sending two teams to the Imagine Cup next year, which was just formally one. I am excited about the Imagine Cup.

How do you see the Imagine Cup affecting youths’ adaptation to technology?

Very positive, for example, for this year’s Imagine Cup 2012, the team from Uganda won at the end and got a crown from Microsoft to make them a prototype. We would be giving them a large sum of money, $55, 000. So, that they can actually use that to fund their prototype of the device put together to the Imagine Cup which means that we have find a way to make their ideas real and see the commercial behind it.

This will turn on people to create new ideas and amazing things. And also, if you get access to this grant, some might face greater products so that they can actually work towards some of the objectives of the Millennium Developmental Goals.

What about Intellectual Property, how far has Microsoft gone with other partners on battling the issue in Nigeria and West Africa?

Right now, our key partners are Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), and in Ghana, the Ghanaian Copyright Commission. Those two are our key partners for now. I do believe that we would still partner with the movie and music industries. I think they have a way to deal with piracy in their ways.

We can get that common ground to fight piracy, because all different media, it could be music, software and I think we have a common ground.

Recently, there was a very big launch about Nokia’s partnership with Microsoft and MTN, can you share some insight?

Nokia in partnership with MTN and Microsoft launch Lumai 920 and 820, a Window 8 device to showcase the great innovation around the great camera any smartphone can have, great high resolution, great pictures, and the memory.

And they are claiming to be one of the most innovative smartphone devices in the market today. They belong to the same Windows 8 family which means it is much easier for people who have a Windows 8 device to have a great Windows sonic device, they work together.

This is not just about the global market, as it’s locally available and on top of that in using it, you actually buy out using a Nigerian product. It’s a product that is localized to Nigeria.

So, you are saying that marketers would appreciate it?

Absolutely, I think as we are working together with MTN, more people would get to see what the phone can do for them and more people would get to take it up for business and personal life. You documents, videos, pictures, apps, everything goes into your devices to PC, slate, phone, synchronizing them.

For the fact that Microsoft had issue with Otigba people, how far can you beat your chest that this is what we have done?

One of the points is the piracy issue, which I also said we are looking unto government for enforcing as we cannot go and arrest anybody. I think we strongly support the government in enforcing laws. Secondly, it’s really around partnerships because a lot of people need to understand; it is valid in going genuine and we need to see a lot more resellers looking at the value.

So, a lot of people would have a clean deal for that. A couple of months ago, we have a couple of 50 dealers come to the office here. ‘We are going clean,’ they declared. We are going to be looking from January that we are not going to sell copyright or pirate information. So, people need to know and be aware of what is being pirated and what’s not.

Emma Onyeje, GM Microsoft West Africa

Those who are going clean, what is Microsoft doing in terms of enlightening the environment to support them?

We have our initiative that would continue running in every single market for our resellers to start and distribute and the rest, if you become a clean dealer, it gives you the opportunity to participate. So, that’s what we have achieved in that market.

What would be your last word for Nigerians who you would like to give more of their trust for the usage of Microsoft services?

The issues are really changing; recently we launched three highly innovative products with the support of our public partners like Dell, HP, Samsung, Nokia and the rest of them. I think for everybody, if you want to carry one device that allows you to work and play the way you want, how you want; the window ecosystem has any phone of any standard application you want to use, anyway you want to use it, our devices work for you. Our devices are designed to work for each and everyone.

RemmyNweke/DSBN

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