Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? - Business (2) - Nairaland
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| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by solosimple(m): 1:14pm On May 11, 2009 |
If anyone thinks Nigerians are lazy people, my question is this, In what other country of the world do people work from 8am to 6pm, 5 days a week as we do in Nigeria (majority even work on Saturday, and some on Sunday too) |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by netotse(m): 1:16pm On May 11, 2009 |
yommyuk:first on the telecomms when it started it wasnt a necessity it was a luxury next y'all should stop with the stereotyping ok. . . what u read wasnt an article it was crap(why dont u put it here or post a link at least) what do u mean most of the ppl use their computers for fraudulent purposes abeg dont talk about what u dont know o! if u had sed they used it to play music, watch porn or movies i'd understand but it seems you just read somebody's crap and are now spewing it out kilode? to start with most nigerians that hv computers dont know how to use them well not to talk of using them for fraudulent purposes. if u're going to join oyinbo's and talk trash about nigeria then at least do something more than quote nonsense. |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by Nobody: 1:44pm On May 11, 2009 |
solosimple: Are you serious? Have you ever been outside Nigeria. People work 12hr shifts, 6 days a week easily in the U.S. In Nigeria, when you say 8am to 6pm, have you factored in the 1-2hrs lunch break. In the US, you get paid for time spent working. In Nigeria, it is fixed. There are people who work 80-90hr weekly shifts in the U.S easily. This has nothing to do with the post but i just wanted to clarify your misconception. If you had said Nigerians in the U.S, i would have agreed with you because Nigerians in the US toooo dey work. Some people work 16hrs, 7 days a week. |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by babzyshe: 3:06pm On May 11, 2009 |
@ Fhemmmy It depends on what you are outsourcing  |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by g4d4f1(m): 5:00pm On May 11, 2009 |
You just have to love this country. Bravo to all the contributors. Indeed there's a future for the country. @ Topic. It's all been summed up. |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by SapeleGuy: 9:03pm On May 11, 2009 |
Mek una leave story - You can't outsource what you don't have. Highest rates of unemployment in USA & UK, Credit crunch don hammer all the outsourced jobs. In fact, they say oyinbo don start to dey do cleaning again for london! |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by naijacutee(f): 9:16pm On May 11, 2009 |
Put it this way, the excellent human resource pool we have in Nigeria is not as widely publicised as the excellent human resource 419 pool we have. Nigeria is simply not publicised as a country with smart people who are capable of handling your precious projects as well as any Indian. Why would any business person go through the risk? Any thing Nigerian to the West "is a scam". |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by yommyuk: 10:53pm On May 11, 2009 |
@ netotse- Nigeria is and has never being a country that producers of luxury goods target. The telecom boom only happened when it became easily affordable to the general public. In regards to bad mouthing nigeria- Imagine this. Getting to work in the morning and your colleagues tell you that they have just received another scam email from Nigeria. if you are conversant with receiving emails- spams are irritating enough. At least u know that the fella is trying to make a buck. And lastly, the info i posted are facts. As a Fellow member of the Institue of credit management in the UK. I know the importance of a country having a good reputation. Countries are graded. and for your information Nigeria belongs to the lowest of the lowest grade and that is a fact. We Nigerians should stop accomodating or ignoring these facts. We should openly admit that they exits and confront it vigourously whenever it shows its ulgy head. I always use this illustration- if you buy a bag of seeds, will you sow them on a land that is toxic, infertile or voltanic? I guess not! This is the same analogy that applies to attracting investment and outsourcing business to nigeria. Check out these links below. and if you need more i can surely get them to u. http://www.trading-safely.com/ - highly recommended site by the international credit Management regulators in Europe https://ibank.bankphb.com/inets/parenthome.cfm - This is a PHB link to online banking for people in diaspora. This is an account that I opened with them since last Oct 08. Up till this very minute their network is still down. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ni.html - Imagine that i am a would be investor reseaching Nigeria - I google NIGERIA - CIA is second on the list and I fast track to the economy section-  http://search.lonelyplanet.com/listing?Ntt=NIGERIA - lonely planet is a highly regarded information website for travellers from all around the world. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/nigeria/practical-information/money-costs -  |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by Redman44(m): 10:59pm On May 11, 2009 |
@solosimple Don't get it twisted, my brother. People are working long hours in Europe and North America these days. In Britain, there are people that work 90 hours a week. They do all kinds of jobs. They also work on Saturday and Sunday. Flexibility and hardwork is the name of the game in Europe these days. The Recession is making citizens and immigrants work incredible hours in order to survive. The Government understands and they have said peeps can work as long as they want. I have seen white ladies hurrying to work as early as 5am in the morning. Just thought I should clarify things. Cheers. |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by solosimple(m): 8:41am On May 12, 2009 |
@Redman44 So it's the same condition we are facing here they are now facing there too, that's STRANGE to me. Anyway, I've not been there before so I have no cause to doubt you. |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by netotse(m): 9:13am On May 12, 2009 |
@yommyuk my point rested majorly on the computer thing, to a large extent how far you go in life is determined by how well u get and use information(in all sphere's) and u got wrong info. . .thats my point, here back home we dont all spend our time in front of the computer sending scam mails as you tried to assert in your post! you simply cant say that because a lot of ppl receive scam mails purportedly from naija that all nigerians do wiv computers is send scam mails(i kno i'm exaggerating here  ) see what u sed abt getting to your office and ur colleauges telling you abt receiving mails means one of two things. . .either they are daft or. . . cos if they like they can continue hating on naija and all the other scammers will take advantage of that to milk them!(er smart person knows u cant tell the origin of an email from reading it)truth be told, the average foreigner is not bright they jst have a system that works! so i see no reason why you should let oyinbo's be telling you who you are when you know if not for the work the few bright ones have done they would be as bad if not worse! |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by Nobody: 1:32pm On May 12, 2009 |
! |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by risingdamp: 3:21pm On May 14, 2009 |
I'm in the outsourcing business and I know for a fact it is happening to an extent already. Companies are outsourcing development of software to companies in Nigeria (and Ghana) and it works well. But why don't we see the sort of outsourcing model which companies like BT and HSBC in the UK have employed were whole support functions are moved to India, Poland and Romania? 1. Perception - Nigeria is still perceived to be a highly unstable country. Why would a global organization outsource chunks of it's business to a country where they cannot be sure what will happen from one day to the next? Because of our brothers who send 419 emails out every 2 seconds, the perception is that Nigeria is filled with criminals. With data protection a huge issue, you can imagine companies will be reluctant to allow support teams in Nigeria access to sensitive information 2. Infrastructure - Our infrastructure still sucks (for want of a better description). This includes power and network. Now this can be mitigated against by an organization serious enough about making Nigeria a potential outsourcing region by capital investment in 24/7/365 generators and installation of their own Network Infrastructure. This would be a huge investment and I don't think anyone is convinced they would get their ROI In theory, it could work in Nigeria, but it needs a change of perception ang I feel a significant capital outlay. www.equity-tracker.com |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by yommyuk: 11:46am On May 16, 2009 |
This is the point I have being trying to put accross - Direct from BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8051602.stm 'Never seen light'  But local media has reported that the panel reviewing that investigation concluded there was no money missing, as the Central Bank still held letters of credit meant for the contracts. The second report, yet to be made public or debated by the House of Assembly, accuses the authors of the previous investigation of holding "personal vendettas" against the former president. Nigeria generates less than 1,000 megawatts (MW) for a population of 140 million. In large cities blackouts are a daily occurrence, and some areas have "never seen light" as people say in Nigerian pidgin. Those who can afford it rely on generators. Large scale business and industry in the country is almost impossible because of the power generation problem, correspondents say. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8051602.stm |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by netotse(m): 6:47pm On May 17, 2009 |
yommyuk:lolz. . .i'm not even going to bother sef. . .just one small thing WRT the bolded text i'm doing my NYSC on a dam and i know thats the dumbest lie i've heard in ages!. . .dont tell me u belive that? |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by latch(m): 9:05pm On May 17, 2009 |
First off, Nigerians are not lazy , try paying Nigerians per hour, and you'll find yourself begging them to go home. Afterall, how many other nationals out here in London work more hours than Nigerians? Second, there is a cal center in Abuja owned by a friend of mine. He has about 60 girls answering calls for 4 American companies, but like agreed, the main issues are power and of course band width. |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by Lax75(m): 9:13pm On May 17, 2009 |
latch: Thank you! I don't know where people get this notion that nigerians are lazy. We are a very smart and resourceful people. |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by promise72(m): 11:27pm On May 17, 2009 |
latch: Nigerians in London and Nigerians in Nigeria are totally 2 different people. Just to let u know  |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by yommyuk: 12:51am On May 18, 2009 |
the problem with most nigerians is exposure. We have this notion that we are still the giant of africa. Old news. Even obama is now ignoring nigeria and going to ghana. It is like going to glasgow and ignoring london. or to toronto and ignoring new york. @netotse you come across like a typical nigerian ( born and bred inhouse, schooled and mostly exposed to the nigerian orientation) Therefore I do understand your point of view. However you must try and broaden your horizon by gaining more exposure outbound The shores of nigeria and then you will surely understand my stance. Yes I agree that nigeria has the potential and capability in regards to human resource. but is that enough?[/b]do you know the investment India had to make in order to cater for outsource needs they are well known for presently? [b] High-end telecom and infrastructure which is at par with global standards - better than the UK They have Proactive and positive policy environment which encourages investments and simplifies rules and procedures India has a Software Technology Park in Bangalore - Bangalore is connected to the major submarine cables: cables viz., India-UAE ; SEA-ME-WE-2 ; FLAG ; SEA-ME-WE-3 through Mumbai ; SAFE and SEA-ME-WE-3 through Cochin and i2i SINGTEL through Chennai which is a joint Televenture of Bharati Telecom. The i2i submarine cable has 8.6 terra byte capacity. Bangalore - The entire state is networked via Optic Fibre Cables(OFC) by the state run BSNL as well as private companies like Bharthi, TATA, VSNL and Reliance - This cost 100s billions of Dollars - Most Multinationals that outsource their business needs do them for the following reasons stated below. 1. Reduce overheads, free up resources 2. Minimize capital expenditure 3. Eliminate investment in fixed infrastructure 4. Offload non-core functions 5. Redirect energy and personnel into the core business 6. Free your executive team from day-to-day process problems 7. Focus scarce resources on mission-critical projects 8. Get access to specialized skills 9. Reduce need for internal commitment of specialists 10. Save on manpower and training costs 11. Control operating costs 12. Improve efficiencies through economies of scale 13. Improve speed and service 14. Level out cyclical or seasonal fluctuations 15. Eliminate peak staffing problems 16. Provide the best quality services, products and people 17. Be reliable and innovative 18. Provide value-added services 19. Increase customer satisfaction 20. Establish long-term, strategic relationships with world-class service providers to gain a competitive edge 21. Enhance tactical and strategic advantages 22. Focus on strategic thinking, process reengineering and managing trading partner relationships 23. Benefit from the provider's expertise in solving problems for a variety of clients with similar requirements. 24. Obtain needed project management and implementation consulting expertise 25. Acquire access to best practices and proven methodologies 26. Spreading risks 27. Avoid the cost of chasing technology 28. Leverage the provider's extensive investments in technology, methodologies and people 29. Reduce the risk of technological obsolescence 30. Increase efficiency by consolidating and centralizing functions 31. Keep pace and minimize the impact of rapid changes in technology without changing your infrastructure 32. Reduce the overall management burden while retaining control of strategic decision making. Now tell me can Nigeria meet 50% of these requirements? FINGERS Bleep |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by Litmus: 8:11am On May 18, 2009 |
Most of the conditions that some mention for why outsourcing would not work in Nigeria also existed in many of the nations of the Pacific Rim, but that did not stop outsourcing to those countries. If America or Britain wants to outsource to Nigeria, they would create the infrastructure they need to run their business. No stuff that some of you negative idiot’s site, has stopped the west exploiting resources such as oil in Nigeria has it. America went so far as to go to war in Iraq just to benefit from cheap oil, it would cost them nothing to create and industrial park in Nigeria if they wanted to. The badmouth of Nigerians in the Diaspora, actually not all are Nigerians, I bet a great deal of those on this board who claim to be Nigerians or say they have Nigerian roots aren’t actually telling the truth. However, as I was stating, the terrible, frankly disgusting attitude of those that are Nigerians and live abroad are in my view as valid a reason for Nigeria’s problem as any Nigerian government. Yes, I would go so far as to argue that. I think that Nigerians back home should look on Nigerians abroad as their enemies; they should do something if they can to disown Nigerians abroad. Why-o-why cant some of these bad mouth people if they feel so bad about Nigeria why can’t they just turn their backs on Nigeria, and call themselves American or British or something else and have nothing to do with Nigeria and better still, have nothing to say about Nigeria. If they do that, Nigeria will have a better chance of making it in the world. and as for the dissembling post just above this one, the truth is that India did nothing for themselves, America and Britain are the ones who created most of the infrastructure of which India now boasts. America helped create most of the IT colleges and industrial estates. When there were shortages of nurses in Britain and America, the American built a huge Nursing school in war torn sirelanka. If one most praise a country for getting itself out of poverty on the strength of its own endeavours, then look to China and not India. If you want a metaphor for the Indian lies then look no further than the recent hit film Slum Dog Millionaire. The British created it but Indian pundits now go around giving the impression that it was an Indian made film. |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by netotse(m): 3:13pm On May 18, 2009 |
yommyuk: lol. . .we're getting feisty arent we?if the emboldened above is what it takes to be a nigerian then i'll i fail woefully  (if i had any more exposure than i do now i'd be spoilt!)what i'm against is the way u come and quote info and expect it to be true simply because it was authored by foreigners(point in case is the amount of power generated or the BA ppl lying abt ayo omotade- if no one questioned what oyinbo's sed where would that leave us?) notice i never said we dont have a prob with infrastructure or corruption i'm just against letting foreigners tell you everything. you're older than i am so i cant say i'm anywhere as wise as you are but i do hv an edge in that i'm not willing to accept news from just anyone on just anything. hvnt been to india so i can't talk about it but i know for certain the average nigerian can compete favourably with the average brit(i'm talking abt the ppl not the system) u dont have to tell me we have a messed up system(i'm right in the middle of it! govt says we're going to hv 6000MW this yr and i'm like howwww?) |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by yommyuk: 11:51pm On May 18, 2009 |
netotse feisty ke? no? I admire ur Patriotism. Keep it up! u dont have to tell me we have a messed up system(i'm right in the middle of it! govt says we're going to hv 6000MW this yr and i'm like howwww?) However for the above statement thanks for the acknowledgement. @litmus in regards to your first 2 paragraphs I will ignore that. and as for the dissembling post just above this one, the truth is that India did nothing for themselves, America and Britain are the ones who created most of the infrastructure of which India now boasts. America helped create most of the IT colleges and industrial estates. When there were shortages of nurses in Britain and America, the American built a huge Nursing school in war torn sirelanka. If one most praise a country for getting itself out of poverty on the strength of its own endeavours, then look to China and not India. If you want a metaphor for the Indian lies then look no further than the recent hit film Slum Dog Millionaire. The British created it but Indian pundits now go around giving the impression that it was an Indian made film. As for the bolded above I will reply and correct. The real brains behind what india is today is the americans/britons of indian origin, indians in disapora (returnees) and the govt of india. (in partnership) imagine this! installing the whole of west nigeria with fibre optic cable. ( i am not talking about an business park) And lastly, China and India- They are both emerging economies. However I will go for india instead of China. Why? China politically is a complex situation. They are heavily reliant on manufacturing. The demand for china goods is diminishing. The made in china goods brand is at the low end of the scale. Their ports are know full of containers nobody wants. So watch out it may be coming african's way on the cheap.(I did not want to mention naija b/c I did not want to piss u off) India political system is widely accepted. English is one of their main offical languages. The westerners will first deal with an indian b4 the chinese. I WILL. and the film slum dog is irrelevant to the topic @ hand |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by Ferragams: 5:32pm On Mar 16, 2011 |
People shldnt get the whole idea of outsourcing wrong,some said initially that it's bout cost,if u look at the hierarchy of outsourcing, cost is number 7 on that list.there are a lot of factors that make company outsource, having said that.outsourcing is very possible in Nigeria. Take out the notion of global outsourcing and think local.wat happens to outsourcing our public sector. U talk about electricity,ow does other company run.if any company can run in Nigeria at the minute then outsourcing is possible. |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by AjanleKoko: 11:36am On Mar 18, 2011 |
^^ True, outsourcing is very possible in Nigeria. And one thing you guys have to consider: The West to a large extent directs outsourcing to Asia, and funds a lot of those developments. I've been to India in particular, and there is no infrastructure advantage that India has over Nigeria. The IT parks in Hyderabad and Bangalore are funded by the Silicon Valley giants. Unlike China, India has not really taken advantage of the outsourcing boom to transform their country, and still struggle with power, road, as well as corruption issues. One thing about Nigeria is that it doesn't get the right type of attention from the West, and subsequently does not get the right type of investment. There's a lot of talk about risk, risk, risk. Nowadays there are heavy campaigns on CNN to attract investment to places like Cambodia and Vietnam. I always find that really amusing. I guess very soon we'll be seeing ads asking multinationals to outsource to Iraq and Afghanistan. The Telecom sector is a good example of how business can be really successful in Nigeria. Cast your minds back to the purported entry of Vodacom into Nigeria, blocked by Vodafone's American shareholders, SBC Global. They cited corporate governance issues, etc., at the time, because some state governors asked for 'brokerage' payments, made such a big issue out of it, and sensationally pulled out. They essentially paved the way for MTN to reap shocking turnovers like NGN740 billion last year. Nigeria can be an investment and outsourcing dream, but the rest of the world choose to treat us with disdain, and we also don't do ourselves any favours. The so-called India everyone is talking about, they don't even have 3G mobile offering, while Nigeria have licensed 4 operators since 2006, and services have been rolled out since 2008. India is a heavily corrupt nation, no power, no roads, a lower literacy level than Nigeria, yet you find the likes of HP and Microsoft with a heavy manufacturing presence, pumping money and resources into India. My guys, it's all about perception. |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by kodewrita(m): 12:13pm On Mar 18, 2011 |
trust and timezone issues. Compared to New delhi, you are only half a day or less ahead and as such you are not as competitive as someone who's on the other side of night. |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by AjanleKoko: 2:55pm On Mar 18, 2011 |
kodewrita: Not really. India is 4 and a half hours ahead of Nigeria. Makes it 9 and a half hours ahead of the US East Coast (Eastern Time), and half a a whole day ahead of the West. Nigeria is same time with Western and Central Europe, and 5 hours ahead of East Coast, 8 hours ahead of the West Coast. Forget that trust matter. Can't you be trusted? There are lots of trustworthy Nigerian graduates from universities and polytechnics that can be easily trained and paid a stipend. They even communicate better than Indians. |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by Ferragams: 12:31am On Mar 22, 2011 |
i cannot agree more with ajanlekoko, great point. india is almost the same as nigeria, the only difference is the time difference. nigeria offers more educated people than india and nigerians speak better english than they do. thats also a factor u need to consider. outsourcing will soon become a big thing in nigeria,,,,,, |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by kodewrita(m): 7:49am On Mar 22, 2011 |
but you still did not cancel out the time factor. How do you run a 24-hour hotline if the outsourcers go to sleep 4 hours ahead of you instead of being awake while you are asleep. (in india's case they are awake while the americans are asleep. thats why they are in the right place for outsourcing). |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by AjanleKoko: 12:42pm On Mar 22, 2011 |
kodewrita: I don't understand you o. We are running 24 hour call centers in Nigeria. What difference does it make when people are awake and when they go to sleep? Unless you are looking at a situation where someone in America outsources a job to someone in India, and goes home, expecting to have it ready by the time he wakes. Even with that, we are in a better situation, as our work day intersects with the American work day. India's work day doesn't at all. By the time it is 9am in New York, it is already COB in India. @Topic, One factor I haven't mentioned is government. For as long as our government keeps passing silly laws that don't favour the investment climate, we won't attract the right kind of investment. No tax holidays, no land grants, multiple taxation, import-export restrictions as well as port inefficiency (you see ships lining up at Apapa every day incurring demurrage), the Western nations will continue to give us wide berth. Even if we are deficient in infrastructure, we must make up by creating an investment-friendly climate that will assist the creation of local jobs. |
| Re: Outsourcing Business In Nigeria: Why Can't It Work? by dannyblayne: 10:03am On Apr 01, 2015 |
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