Our mission for e-inclusion – Emelife

Managing Director, Hewlett Packard (HP) Nigeria, Mr. Maduka Emelife has explained the firm’s worldwide mission for e-inclusion initiative, saying it provides access to the people.

This, he said facilitates greatly on the social and economic opportunities available to the populace through closing the digital gap.

Mr. Emelife who made this disclosure while throwing light on HP’s philanthropy initiative in setting up two major projects in the country recently, namely the Micro Enterprise Acceleration Program (MEAP) and HP+IEEE Telecenter.

While MEAP is located at the Lagos Business School Victoria Island through HP’s partnership with Pan African University’s department of Enterprise Development Services (EDS), HP is also partnering with the department of Electrical Electronics Engineering at the University of Ibadan for the telecenter.

Mr. Emelife said that HP has long believed that doing good is good business based on the firm’s worldwide mission on e-inclusion initiative, empowerment through provision of access to close the gap between technology-empowered and technology-excluded communities.

“With the end result to enable sustainability for the communities and HP,” he asserted.

The two projects estimated to be over $200,000 about N26,310,000, the company said, were aimed at empowering micro entrepreneurs and students in the country so as to be more useful to the entire society.

According to Marketing Consultant at HP, Ms Chizoba Nwaobia in a press statement made available to Champion Infotel, in order to actualise the set objectives, HP is collaborating with Pan African University to create a MEAP Center, which would enable enterprises in underserved communities access to technology, training and business coaching.

This would also accelerate and sustain business growth and economic opportunity for participants.
Towards this programme, she said, HP has donated equipments and services worth over $120,000.

Mr. Emelife was further quoted as saying that by partnering with local training and business development service providers, like the Pan-African University “who are already working with micro enterprises, HP would more immediately and directly help micro enterprises learn how to apply the power of information and communications technology to grow and sustain their businesses through its MEAP.”

For the second program, identified as HP+IEEE Telecenter, the leading IT solution provider said its partnership with the department of Electrical Electronics Engineering at the University of Ibadan was to enable the building of an advanced computing and telecenter, for the university community.

This, he explained, would promote computer education at the University of Ibadan, and nearby communities.

The center which is costing HP over $80,000 in equipments and services is a state of the art facility, 60-seat computer centre.

Mr. Emelife noted it would change the way they study at the institute, even as it will also provide students and the community countless new educational opportunities to prepare them for the demands of the 21st century.

The centre is complete with full connectivity, generators, specialised software, access to a digital laboratory, and other HP knowledge centers for the training of young Nigerian engineers.

“The equipment provided to IEEE by HP will open up many doors for our students,” affirmed Dr. Adeboye Olatunbosun of the University of Ibadan, stressing that with this, “our students, faculty, alumni and our surrounding community will have greater access to knowledge and opportunities from around the world”.