Nigeria: The Next Global Outsourcing Power?
BUSINESS DAY -- Global information and communication giant, Microsoft, has set an ambitious target of training 50,000 Nigerian youths on IT and outsourcing skills. Ken Spann, Developer Platform Evangelist Lead for Microsoft Anglophone West Africa, told Business Day in an interview in Lagos that the initiative is aimed at facilitating the development of a vibrant outsourcing sector that would ultimately make Nigeria the IT Enabled Outsourcing hub in West Africa .
A recent World Bank study says that Nigeria can be the premier outsourcing country in the world. One distinct advantage is that English is the official language in Nigeria, making it a favorable outsourcing destination because English is the language for business around the world. With this, it is easy for Microsoft to build IT capacity in Nigeria.
18 Comments:
In Thomas Sowell's Basic Economics, he states that Nigeria is ranked as one of the three top countries in the world for corruption. I don't see any significant outsourcing happening in Nigeria happening as long as that is true.
OMG, the first thing that came to mind was "Nigerian scams cubed".
This is the real motivation behind those little charity notebook computers. These people can't run an effective country, and they are responsible for scamming and all sorts of corruption, but YEAH!!! Get them on the Net and computer literate so that we can have MORE cheap labor and put more Americans out of work! Yeah baby!!!
When are you greedy jerks going to get it? We got rid of so much manufacturing that China could beat us in a war. We could never manufacture the way we had to in WW2. Now we give away our tech lead to foreigners this way, all for short term profit and greed. What American is going to want to go into technology? I already told my kid that he is NEVER going to work in computers because he'll be unemployable someday.
When are guys like Perry going to get it that sometimes globalism and outsourcing are just plain BAD for a nation's security and long term health?? Who is going to buy products when we are a nation of gas pumpers, burger flippers, and Wal*Mart greeters?? Huh? Answers, geniuses??
You wouldn't be doing your kid any favors by setting him up for a career in entry level IT anyway.
As for your verdict on the greed of others, I think you'd do well to expand your definition to include "the desire of homeland job security." Is that not greed as well?
Actually, I think I've gotten ahead of myself. I must be a real ignoramus since I'm not convinced that outsourcing is bad for national security. In fact, I think it's good! Wow am I in trouble. Maybe you could help me understand.
This increased IT awareness should help virtuous Nigerians match up long lost heirs of dead millionaires who happened to leave their money sitting in a Nigerian bank.
"Like such as" is an ignoramus if he can't see the inherent danger in America ceding heavy industry and technology to Asia.
What American is going to want to go into technology? I already told my kid that he is NEVER going to work in computers because he'll be unemployable someday.
When are guys like Perry going to get it that sometimes globalism and outsourcing are just plain BAD for a nation's security and long term health?
Hmm. Anonymous apparently thinks that protected US industries like auto manufacturing are in better shape than computer and IT industries, and wants to bring the same great ideas that made the US auto manufacturing what it is today to computers.
The IT industry has always allowed outsourcing and free movement of people, and it's the stronger for it. The auto industry had unions that wouldn't even allow factories to be moved to the American South, and paid a price.
Note that in WW2 we went from producing almost no military goods to an extremely high amount. I don't think that example means what you think it means, Anonymous.
We had the industrial base to convert from cars and trucks to tanks and planes. We'll have none of that in the future. Who will? The Chinese.
So, genius, the question stands, once there are no more IT/programming/computer science careers in the US, what will we do then? Pump gas, flip burgers, be lawyers? There used to be a system were business owners and executives valued and treated their employees well, like people. Somewhere along the line people became numbers only, and expendable. I'm not saying that we should have "protected" industries, but that morals and ethics reenter the American business psyche. the best people I have ever worked for were entrepreneurs who were tech guys first, business guys second. The worst I have worked for were those who came from accounting and sales backgrounds. The corporate rapists. You are probably one of them.
"The Black Book of Outsourcing" 's report on the African Offshore Industry last February stated that Nigeria was to be avoided. They re-iterated that in their recent Most Dangerous Outsourcing Locations survey ranking by global destination specialists. Nigeria hasn't protected its meager infrastructure efforts, stabilized combative labor, improved work conditions or training programs...to just name a few. With a world of safe choices to keep business processes continuous, its doubtful any buyers or investors would seriously consider Nigeria for another decade.
I love the argument people like anonymous make. Greedy capitalist pigs! You don't care about people!
Uh, really? How about the 50,000 people in Nigeria who this would lift out of poverty? Things like this give a nation a chance to rise above its current position. When people have a way to make a decent living, they don't need to run scams or commit crime to eat.
Your argument rests on the fact that the only people we should care about are those that happen to live within our borders. I absolutely agree with that statement if the action is being taken by the government, but we're talking about a free, private enterprise. They don't owe you a job. A job they create in Nigeria is just as 'virtuous' as a job they create in Silicon Valley.
Hey James, we should care about OUR US PEOPLE first and foremost, not the people in Nigeria, or Bangalore, or Shanghai. You don't care about them, you just want a few more pennies profit. How well will the US economy do, a 70% CONSUMER economy, when no one has enough MONEY, as in PAY, to consume with? Huh, you short sighted genius? I'm waiting. Let the govts of Nigeria, India, and China care about their own people. Let their corporations hire them. When did the US become the employer of everyone but Americans? This is MADNESS, and YOU, my friend, are a Koolaid drinker.
Talking about scams.
Istn't $50bn man Bernard Madoff a US citizen?
rg
The more computer literate people anywhere - the MORE jobs, MORE innovations, MORE business. Globally. Fuck the Anonymous #3.
Anonymous, "OURS" is not US anymore. OURS is Earth. Face the reality.
Hey Anon,
Pull your head out of your ass and read my post. Our government should take care of our people. No disagreement there.
Microsoft is not our government. Microsoft is a free enterprise, that just happens to be located within our borders. Microsoft does not owe you, or your obviously disadvantaged child a job.
I don't own any M$ stock, so I really couldn't care less about a "few more pennies profit". Do you on MSFT shares? If you do, why would you want to make less money and be less efficient? Contrary to what you believe, the pie is not a fixed size. Growing the pie benefits everyone involved.
Another obvious point for you to consider: 50,000 jobs in Nigeria does not equal 50,000 jobs in the US. It might equal 5,000. Probably closer to 1,000.
I know your a protectionist, but don't try to couch your theories in humanitarianism.
Dear Sirs:
My my uncle died and is holding 4,000,000 posts in an offshore blog. If I could just borrow you blog account, I could transfer the posts out of my country and give you the tidy sum of 100,000 posts as a reward.
Forgive the humor, but Nigeria is already adept at using email.
http://www.419eater.com/
Hey Vovix, screw you.
When I talk about the US govt caring for Americans, I know that MS is not the govt, but MS is run by Americans who should have a tiny iota of caring that they are sending valuable knowledge offshore. Mark my words, this outsourcing of technology and heavy industry will come back to bite us. Remember a year ago everyone was laughing at Dr Doom Roubini, but he is laughing now. Likewise you guys like to poke fun at "protectionists". I'm not protectionist in the way that you think. I am merely appealing to these corporate people for some long sightedness rather than shortsightedness, for a change. China will kick out a$$ in a future war now that they have most of the heavy industry AND will have most of the means to out produce us technologically. We used to stop the latest microchips from going to the Soviets and the commies. This kept them behind. Somewhere we jettisoned the issue if security and now these people don't need our tech anymore. Soon they will be making their own OS's and "Red" computer chips. They can also embed trogans into the microcode.
I work in tech, and we never had viruses and worms like we do now that India and Chinese workers can remote into our systems. It's PATHETIC.
And no, I don't own MS stock.
India’s BPO industry has evolved and matured to present higher-end services that require judgment-based analysis and domain expertise, rather than function-specific, rules-based performance parameters alone. As service providers strive to offer end-to-end services, we see BPO falling into different segments. At one end of the spectrum is the traditional rules-based transactional outsourcing; while at the other end is judgment-based transaction processing and full-service business process outsourcing.
India has won its spurs as the world’s outsourcing destination of choice. Currently the country has a commanding share of the global outsourcing market.
India is undoubtedly the most favored IT/BPO destination of the world. This raises the question why most of the big MNCs are interested in outsourcing their operations to BPOs in India. The answer is very simple- India is home to large and skilled human resources. India has inherent strengths, which have made it a major success as an outsourcing destination. India produces the largest number of graduates in the world. The name of India has become synonymous with that of BPOs and IT industry hence the name BPO India.
Besides being technically sound, the work force is proficient in English and work at lower wages in comparison to other developed countries of the world. India also has a distinct advantage of being in a different time zone that gives it flexibility in working hours. All these factors make the Indian BPOs more efficient and cost effective. In order to meet the growing international demand for lucrative, customer-interaction centers, many organizations worldwide are looking to BPO India.
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