Players in IT industry urged to innovate
An Information Technology (IT) company in the country, Mak-Edu Consult Limited, has advised players in the IT industry and other industries to be innovative by using the latest technology available to improve their operations and services.
That, the Operations Officer of the company, Mr Robert Okine, indicated would enable them realise their prospects and also penetrate the local and regional market.
“Most problems we see in our society could be solved with ICT; hence opportunities abound. Ghanaian industry, therefore, needs to believe that companies like ours have what it takes to provide cutting-edge ICT solutions in their organisations,” he said.
Meanwhile, statistics from the National Communication Authority (NCA) indicates that about 18 million subscribers were recorded for data usage as of December 2015. “This clearly indicates the high demand for reliable and efficient Internet-based information systems,” he added.
According to him, well-established firms such as Soft Tribe and others must be willing to share projects with the likes of Mak-Edu Consult, adding that their model was to be flexible and ready to share to grow the ICT pie and create sustainable jobs for young ICT engineers.
“We should also look beyond Accra. There are nine other regional capitals which need ICT penetration. There are problems to be solved, services to improve and social needs to address in those other cities as well,” he noted.
“We should take a value chain approach for all sectors. We have to design solutions for agriculture, education, healthcare, energy, travel and tourism, supply chain management and transport, food industries, telecom, finance, among others,” he added.
Challenges
Speaking on challenges affecting the sector, Mr Okine said there was a lack of skilled labour in Ghana to create an ICT ecosystem, similar to other African countries such as Kenya (Nairobi), Tunisia (Tunis), South Africa (Cape Town) and Morocco (Casablanca). Unfortunately, most of the professors in higher educational institutions in Ghana have not kept pace to meet the core demand of the industry by teaching and graduating software engineers and programmers. Therefore, local institutions should beef up their teaching staff by recommending consistent refresher courses for their current staff and inviting local and other African ICT professionals as guest lecturers for the students.
“Fortunately, the best and entrepreneurial software engineers are finding ways to supplement their skills because of their passion for the industry, but not mainly from the curriculum being taught at local universities,” he stated.
According to him, the brighter side is that some universities are gradually taking up the challenge of filling in the gap in building the capacity of willing and interested students.
Focus on Mak-Edu Consult
Mak-Edu Consult Limited is a Ghanaian company with expertise in information technology and communication solutions. The company also provides solutions on business process re-engineering, institutional and human capacity development.
Their mission is to produce excellent services in the field of ICT services and consultancy with maximum efforts driven towards customer satisfaction and its vision to build upon a reputation of being one of the most innovative ICT solution and service provider in West Africa.
“We believe in doing our work in the most efficient way with robust and structured methodology, and with gradual evolution from hard work to smart-work culture to exceed our clients’ expectations,” Mr Okine noted.
Competitive advantage
Touching on its competitive advantage, the Operations Officer said Mak-Edu Consult’s strength lies in perceiving the client’s business processes, culture, vision and goals across the industry segments and offering client-oriented solutions, which are highly reliable.
“We do not sleep or retire on the client's objective until we get a solution through the software or information systems we develop or implement,” he added.
According to him, Mak-Edu Consult relies on the experience of its on-site staff as well as remote consultants who could provide advice on technical matters when necessary.
“The company is also able to deploy project staff directly to the client’s site if necessary. We find that process mutually beneficial to enhance collaboration with clients and troubleshoot any issues that might arise during project implementation,” he said.
“Our team of staff and consultants have revolutionised the ICT sector in Ghana and made us a quiet leader in innovating and impacting industries with a user-friendly solution,” he noted.