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Smart city solutions: what IT developments help to improve the level of infrastructure in megacities

By Guardian Nigeria
22 December 2022   |   11:11 am
The smart city is one of the priority industries for Nigeria, which infrastructure is actively developing. Meanwhile, Moscow exports a lot of already proven high-tech products abroad, which occupies a leading position among Russian regions in the supply of IT sector services. In addition, Nigeria and Moscow are interested in cooperation and strengthening ties between…

The smart city is one of the priority industries for Nigeria, which infrastructure is actively developing. Meanwhile, Moscow exports a lot of already proven high-tech products abroad, which occupies a leading position among Russian regions in the supply of IT sector services. In addition, Nigeria and Moscow are interested in cooperation and strengthening ties between businesses and institutions for the development of the foreign economic activity.

Moscow business is ready to enter the Nigerian market

Of all regions of the Russian Federation, Nigeria most often works with Moscow: the share of supplies from the Russian capital in the total volume of exports of finished products to the country is 17.8%. The most demanded industries for Nigerian imports from Moscow are Medicine and Pharmaceuticals and Chemical Industry. Moreover, cosmetics are among the products imported to Nigeria from the Russian capital: according to the results of 2021, sales of makeup and skin care products increased by 80%.  Also, people in Nigeria often buy dishes and household items from Moscow companies.

If we talk about IT development, many innovative companies in Moscow are interested in entering the Nigerian market. The country already uses equipment from SMT Engineering. These are self-service terminals, thanks to which government and commercial enterprises can reduce the cost of staff salaries and reshape its work in an automated mode.  Also, software and solutions from the Moscow INTECH team help Nigerian companies scale and optimize business processes. This company works, among other things, with the largest corporations in Russia, to which it supplies services for the implementation of online events, solutions for the integration of automated telephone exchanges, and also develops applications for SmartTV.

Other companies are also ready to work with Nigeria: in particular, the first negotiations with buyers in this region have already been held by the Moscow developers of GNSS equipment – Orient Systems, which is used in the navigation systems of unmanned buses and other areas that require accurate tracking.

«Nigeria is a large and actively growing country, friendly towards the Russian Federation. We believe that our satellite navigation technologies will be very useful to them. We are now continuing negotiations with partners on further cooperation», – said Sergey Lebedev, Director General of Orient System Group.

In addition, the developers of voice and chat bots – TWIN, as well as the supplier of cross-platform software for the financial sector – Smartcard-Service, whose product is used in the Top 100 Russian banks, are also interested in cooperation.

A company called Traffic Data offers specialized software for traffic tracking and adaptive road regulation: such developments are especially relevant for the improvement of infrastructure based on the “smart city” principle.

«We operate in the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) market. And our solutions are especially advantageous in those countries where ITS is just developing. In this case, modern equipment is installed, and our solutions allow to use it without additional costs for special devices. Now we have already held 6 online negotiations with partners from Nigeria: we are already planning a series of pilots with some of them», – said Ivan Chebykin, Traffic Data founder.

In addition, Moscow developers of the Cloud4y storage service are already working in the countries of North Africa and the Middle East. The team is also ready to interact with partners from Nigeria and conduct business negotiations.

Where IT meets medicine

It is worth noting that Nigeria is actively cooperating with Moscow in the field of medicine and pharmaceuticals: in addition to being in the Top 20 key importers of the Russian capital in this category in 2021, the volume of purchases exceeded $20 million. In Nigeria, there is a trend towards the digitalization of the healthcare system, including in the field of training. Many specialized institutes use the VR Medica Platform, a virtual reality platform developed by the Moscow-based Targetta team.

«We are actively working with the young generation – these are inspired medical professionals who have received a specialized education, but strive to develop, including as technocratic entrepreneurs. Together we are discussing new lines of digital solutions for nursing education and professional development. Nigerian teams demonstrate a very high professional level of strategic business development», – said Inna Bondareva, founder of Targetta. For a Moscow businesswoman, establishing relations with the African region is extremely important: in addition to exporting medical solutions, Inna Bondareva helps develop charity and is a member of the Advisory Board of the NGO African Youth Advocacy Against Poverty Initiative, which is located in Abuja.

It is interesting to mention the case of the skeleton manufacturer Symbionix which operates in Nigeria. Its model Companion made of high-strength plastic and titanium alloy is imported from Moscow. The exoskeleton weighs 8.5 kilograms and easily adapts to the human anatomy. The Moscow manufacturer cooperates with the largest group of companies in Nigeria, whose services include the maintenance of medical equipment.

Strengthening ties between Moscow and Nigeria

It should be noted that many of the mentioned companies managed to enter the Nigerian market and find clients thanks to the support of the Moscow Government, in particular, of the Moscow Export Center – an official structure established to ensure the development of trade and economic relations with foreign partners. In order to support foreign economic activity, the MEC implements a wide range of projects, including more than 30 services and services.

For instance, companies interested in entering the Nigerian market could get analytical research on it – the Moscow Export Center prepared statistic reports for manufacturers of spare parts for ATMs, as well as for software developers for the financial, banking and insurance sectors.

Suppliers of pharmaceutical products, manufacturers of clothing and ATM applied to the Moscow Export Center for the assistance in finding buyers in this region.

The Moscow Export Center continues to strengthen trade and economic relations with Nigeria. So, in 2022, an online business mission was organized for a delegation of entrepreneurs from Moscow, where companies had an opportunity to present products and services to partners from the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The negotiations were attended by 20 enterprises, including suppliers of soy meat and legumes, preparations for agriculture, maternity products and oral care products, as well as manufacturers of 3D printers, electrosurgical equipment and chemical formulations.

The Moscow Export Center interacts not only with domestic businesses but also responds to requests from foreign buyers.

“Nigerian companies interested in the products and services of Moscow suppliers can contact the Moscow Export Center, which is open to direct interaction with foreign partners and has a wide pool of exporters in 12 industries – from the food industry and textiles to high-tech products. MEC selects the most suitable offers in the market free of charge and provides complete and up-to-date information about companies from the capital of Russia”, – Vitaly Stepanov, Head of the Moscow Export Center emphasized.

Strengthening cooperation is facilitated by regular contacts between institutions for the development of the foreign economic activity of the regions. Thus, in May 2022, the head of the Moscow Export Center, Vitaly Stepanov, met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the Russian Federation, Abdullahi Yibaikwal Shehu. The talks were attended by the Minister Counsellor of the Embassy for Economy, Trade and Investments Friday W. Akpan and the First Secretary of the Embassy (Economy Trade & Investments) Adeniyi Ganiyu.

In December, another meeting with a delegation from Nigeria took place in Moscow: the First Secretary of the Embassy Mr Musbahu Bashir Sadi and Chairman of the Nigerian Diaspora in Russia, Uwem-Edimo Friday Sampson, joined the team.

The parties agreed to strengthen cooperation, maintain regular contacts and provide mutual support to business, both from the Nigerian and Moscow sides. Joint work to increase trade turnover between the regions will continue in 2023.

 

For more details, please see Export Catalogue MADE IN MOSCOW  

[ moscow-export.com/en/ ]

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