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Is Cyber Café Losing Business To Smartphones?

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Few years ago, run
ning a cyber café was still highly profitable in Nigeria, while many people were attracted to that business.
Today, the story is different; many cyber café operators can hardly make ends meet, while those who cannot persevere have left the business.
The reason, according to computer analysts, is the rise in smartphones, as people now access the internet from the comfort of their rooms.
“Internet cafes across the developing world, including Nigeria are reporting dwindling numbers of customers as smartphones make the mobile web less attractive.
“After all, why pay for web access on someone else’s old PC when you can access Facebook and other internet facilities on your smartphone device from anywhere you like? Mr Maxwell Okechukwu, an ICT expert, asked.
A Lagos based Information Technologist, Mr Oluwaseun Adeboye, however said that a recent study showed that people had continued to rely on public venues like the cafes to access the web.
According to him, a five-year study released by the University of Washington in July, 2013, shows that web users continue to rely on public venues  for web access even when smart phones are available.
“One technology does not replace the other and smartphone  will not solve the access problems,’’ Adeboye said.
But many cyber café operators complained that the emergence of  smartphones had greatly reduced the number of people patronising their services.
Mr Kunle Aribisala, who has been in the  cyber café business  for seven years, said that patronage was low in recent times.
The 36-year-old Aribisala, has a cyber café with 10 computers in Osogbo, Osun State.
“Making money was easy in the beginning, when there were not so many home computers or smartphones.
“It has become more and more difficult to attract consumers. People would rather play with their smartphones,” he said.
Sharing similar sentiments, a café operator in Ibadan, Mr Tunde Iyiola, said many people now preferred to use their smartphones to browse rather than visit a cyber café.
“Although, we enjoy a reasonable level of power supply in this area, many people prefer to browse on their smartphones.
“The only time people come to the café is when they want to scan a document or do a print out,’’ he said.
Another operator, Mr Kazeem Hammed, said he was planning to close his shop for another business due to low patronage.
Hammed said that many people had resorted to the use of smartphones rather than visit a café, adding that the practice was not encouraging the business.
“The golden days have passed. It is impossible to earn money easily like we did in the past.
“The few people that come to café once in a while are the university candidates who want to print out their admission letters or scan a document. This is not too good for the business.
“ The cyber cafes  are not so attractive to the users as they used to be since most of their functions have been replaced by mobile internet devices,“ Hammed said.
Another operator, Mrs Ibironke Isiaka,said cyber café was a lucrative business before the advent of smartphones.
“You know technology is improving every day. Most people now use their phones to browse, and indeed, I do not see any reason why they should patronise the café again,’’ she said.
Analysts say that many people now prefer to use their smartphones because they are cheaper and more convenient.
Miss Chisom Maduike, said that she bought only N1,000 data plan for a month to browse.
“My smartphones can satisfy my needs, why should I visit a café?
“It saves extra cost and provide me with the comfort and ease to do whatever I want, ‘’Maduike said.
A student of Osun State University, Emmanuel Oladipupo, said after buying a smartphone a year ago, he stopped visiting cyber cafes.
“I can play games and get news on my phone. Then why visiting cyber café again?
“Besides, these phones have the option of Wi-Fi and USB tethering; a person can connect his or her laptop/computer with the phone and surf the internet.
“Also, facebook, twitter, gmail, nimbuzz, all these services are present in a mobile phone (even a feature phone), thereby reducing the need to go to a cyber café  on a regular basis.
“ My colleagues will rather play video games on their phones than go to a cyber café because it’s more convenient and cheaper.
“Most of my classmates have computers, and we need not go to the cyber café to search online information like our predecessors did,” he said.
Also speaking, a journalist, Mr Kolawole Idowu, said the internet on smartphones was always on, be it GPRS or 3G.
“If the pack is good enough, a person does not have to worry about spending any extra money on cyber café since they have become similar to broadband.
“Also the price of an hour in a cyber cafe is about N140, whereas a subscription on smartphone is about N1, 000 per month.
“This means that to subscribe on smartphone is cheaper than to visit a café,“ Idowu said.
As experts say, “ one technology does not replace the other,’’ cyber café operators should exploit their areas of comparative advantage in order to remain in business.
Adeoti is a staff of News Agency of Nigeria.

Victor Adeoti

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Eazipay  Offers Zero-Interest Loans To  150,000 SMEs, Employees

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With a mission to ignite growth, encourage business continuity and help businesses and employees thrive, Eazipay is gearing up to propel the dreams of 150,000 SMEs and employees to new heights through her relief fund.
Gone are the days of financial constraints and stifled dreams. With Eazipay’s support, SMEs and employees alike can bid farewell to limitations and embrace a world of endless possibilities.
Whether it’s start up,  business expansion or personal development, Eazipay is here to make dreams come true.
The mind-blowing initiative, which  kicked off this month, would end in December, and will also offer a range of perks and benefits designed to put a smile on the faces of SMEs and employees alike.
From exclusive discounts to various advisory services and beyond, Eazipay is committed to spreading happiness and creating lasting impact in people’s lives and to the growth of businesses.
The technology company which offers products and services that range from payroll management to IT/Device management and assessments, “Eazipay isn’t just providing financial support but also unleashing a wave of growth and prosperity for SMEs and employees across the nation.
“Interested businesses and individuals can take part in this initiative directly from the Eazipay website: www.myeazipay.com”.

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SMEs Critical For Sustainable Dev – Commissioner

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The Commissioner of Finance, Lagos State, Abayomi Oluyomi, has described Small and medium Enterprises (SMEs) as a critical engine for sustainable development in any economy.
He said this recently at the 10th anniversary of the Alert Group Microfinance Bank and the opening of their new head office in Lagos.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, SMEs accounted for about 50 per cent of Nigeria’s gross.
He commended the positive impact of the Alert MFB as it empowers SMEs in the State.
“Alert MFB in the past 10 years has been at the forefront of empowering SMEs in Lagos State, disbursing over N30bn in loans to over 30,000 individuals having small to medium businesses over that period, which is quite remarkable”, he said.
Speaking, the Group Managing Director of Alert Group, Dr Kazeem Olanrewaju, revealed that the financial institution commenced business in 2013 as a microfinance bank.
“We started this journey in 2013 and it has been expanding. Today, they have about 10 branches across Lagos. They have supported well over 30,000 clients and have disbursed over N30bn.
“The company has been profitable since the second year. Looking at the market and the available opportunity, the Alert MFB board decided to come together to establish a Microfinance Institute (MFI), which is the Auto Bucks Lenders”, Dr. Olanrewaju said.
The GMD further stated that the company was focused more on supporting businesses and small and medium enterprises.
“The loan to support business represents over 98 per cent. The consumer loans you will see are the ones given to entrepreneurs. So, the area of focus of Alert MFB and Auto Bucks Lenders is to support businesses across the country.
“With the establishment of Auto Bucks Lenders, we have the opportunity to also do business outside Lagos. So, presently, we have offices in Ogun State and Oyo State. We intend to go to every part of Nigeria to support what we are doing”, he declared.

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Retailers Explain Price Drop In  Cement Cost

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The cement market, in the last couple of weeks, has seen a significant turnaround with prices tumbling from between N10,000 and N15,000 per 50kg bag to between N7,000 and N8,000.
The sudden rise in the prices of cement and other major building materials in February this year upsets  the construction industry, especially in real estate, where many developers were forced to abandon building sites.
A recent market survey conducted by The Tide’s source in different locations across the country confirmed a price drop, ranging between N7,000 and N7,500 per bag, though BUA cement is selling for N7,500 to N7,800 per 50kg bag, depending on location.
Both entrepreneurs and major distributors who were interviewed,  explained that the price drop is due to low demand and government’s intervention.
At the peak of the price hike, the Federal Government called a meeting with major producers where it was agreed that a bag of cement should be between for N7,000 to N8,000, depending on location.
But the producers did not comply with this agreement immediately, followin which “Nigerians stopped demanding for cement; many project sites were abandoned as developers sat back and waited for the prices to come down.
“So, what has happened is an inter-play of demand and supply with price responding, which is Economics at work”, Collins Okpala, a cement dealer, told the source in Abuja.
In the Nyanya area of the Federal Capital Territory, a 50-kg bag of Dangote cement now sells for between N7,000 and N7,500, while BUA cement sells for between N8,500 and N9,500, down from between N11,000 and N12,000 respectively.
In Lagos, the product has seen significant price drop too. In Ojo area of the state, Sebastin Ovie, a dealer, told our reporter that what has happened is a crash from the January price, attributing the crash to low demand and stronger naira.
“The current price of the product is between N7,000 and N7,500 per 50kg bag, depending on the brand. This is a significant drop from the average of N12,000 which most dealers were selling in February and March”, he said.
A dealer in Agege area of the state who identified himself as Taofik Olateju, told the source that sales are picking up due to the drop in price.
He recalled that Nigerians at a point stopped buying due to the high price of the product at N15,000 per bag.
“I am sure most dealers ran at a loss then because we had mainly old stocks which we wanted to offload quickly”, he said, confirming that the product sells for between N7,500 and N8,000, depending on the brand and the demand for the brand.
Continuing, Olateju noted that “because the naira is now doing well against the dollar, it will be unreasonable for manufacturers to continue to sell the product at the old prices. I also believe that the federal government’s intervention and the threat to license more importers may have worked, leading to the reduction in price”.
In Enugu, the source reports that the product sells for between N7,200 and N7,500 depending on the brand and location.
“This is a city where the price of a 50kg bag went for as high as N12,000 and N13,000 in some cases in February and March”, Samuel Chikwendu said.
He added that the prices of other building materials, especially iron rods, have also dropped considerably which is why, he said, activities are picking up again at construction sites.
The story is slightly different in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, where Innocent Okonkwo told the source that low demand was also driving the price drop, adding that a 50kg bag was selling for N9,000 on the average in the state.
Sundry market observers are optimistic of further price reductions, but they remain cautious as manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers continue to play critical roles in setting prices for end-users.
They lamented, however, that despite Nigeria’s status as one of the largest producers of cement in Africa, the price of the product continues to rise, particularly in the face of high inflation impacting the building materials market generally.
Okpala in Abuja highlighted the variations arising from direct sourcing from manufacturers versus procurement through dealers, with traders holding old stocks selling products at prices ranging from N8,500, N8,300 to N8,000 per bag.
Lucy Nwachukwu, another dealer in Abuja, said the significance of  procurement volume in determining cement costs, noting that stability in prices has been observed over the past month, with the product retailing for between N7,000 and N7,800 depending on the brand.
In Port Harcourt also, a customer, Daniel Etteobong Effiong, said the price goes between N7500 to N8500, depending on the brand and the location one is buying from.

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