Interview
Hypertech Nigeria
Limited
is a multi-dimensional organization that has made considerable impact on the
Nigerian economy, by handling projects that cut across mining, agriculture,
Information Technology, Engineering, Energy and Procurement Sectors. In this
interview with Kehinde Ajobiewe, the
company's CEO, Mr. Mohammed
Mustapha, talks about some of the challenges of doing business in Nigeria
among other things.Could you tell us what you do at Hypertech?
We are in the private sector and we have what we call the handful philosophy, which literally means we are involved in five major sectors of the Nigerian economy. We are involved in the Engineering sector, we are in the Information Technology sector, we are in the mining and agricultural sector, and we are in the energy and procurement sectors. These are the vital things we are currently involved in.
What led to the establishment of Hypertech Nigeria Limited?
Hypertech was established in 1992. We have our 20th year anniversary this year and we are registered to participate actively in the Nigeria's private sector, in various segments that I just mentioned, and it was mainly business that led me to the establishment of the company.
What will you consider the achievements of your company since you started?
We have a project in each of the five sectors. The first sector which is the engineering sector, we have developed strategic partnership with an international brand, which is Tripple A Limited Company, with world class preference in their jobs.
We have actively developed the Mandula radio power project and we are partnering closely with a Chinese Multinational called CGGC which we hope will double the production output in terms of capacity and power generation in the country over a specific period and we have looked at specifically the funding, international funding coming from China while the technical part of it will be done locally here, by both the Chinese company and the local content.
We are involved closely in the construction of the inland port, we are involved in the dredging of Lagos lagoon into about 37 nautical miles into the Atlantic creating a ferry route there, and we are also part of the greater Port Harcourt city development.
How long did it take your business to become profitable?
We are 20 years old, so definitely, we had broken even a long time ago.
What was it like at the beginning?
Well, there are a lot of challenges breaking into the Nigerian private sector today, we have a lot of issues delaying salary, high bank rate in terms of obtaining funds from the Nigerian banking sector, and you have issues in training, capacity building and personnel. There are a lot of challenging issues, it was a rough ride.
What differentiates your company from your competitors?
We are very futuristic in our ventures; I will give you an example. We believe in the new change in government now which is particularly a bit rigid.
The public is in strategic partnership with the private sector as you can see clearly
The private sector is already taking over, and the world over, in most developed economies have been private sector ruling, and I think it is gradually happening here, especially in the telecommunications industry.
Look at what MTN, Glo and the rest of them are doing compared to NITEL which is public owned, and if you take a look at the aviation industry, the private sector has taken over all the Nigerian airways. Look at the Banking sector, the new generation banks have taken over.
I think it's a very interesting revolution in the industry and we believe in the PPP side of it and we look at the difficult projects we have acquired, one of the biggest challenges in every project are the two main functions of finance and technology and most of the Tripple A related brands are not here in Africa and even Nigeria, because of the challenges involved; there are so many factors involved such as corruption, lack of capital base to operate, power, communication, security, there are so many challenges.
So, most of these major brands find it difficult to be in operation and we believe our strategic local content have helped bridge the gap and we have given total coverage to what it takes to move Nigeria among the great names and we are celebrating our relationship with internationals who would have earlier on wanted to leave, but we've been able to hold them back. We still have a very strategic unique role which is challenging because it falls into the belief, different from the conventional Nigerian way and manner,
We expect a very difficult fluid terrain where these are very fluid, so we have to be solid and competent. For example, about the Mandela radio project, it has gone through several administrations because it takes a lot of coordination to develop a technical terrain to suit the project and because of the basic political instability in the country, there will be inconsistency in government positions. So, managing and coordinating those gaps is quite a challenge, but at the end of it all, we have eventually succeeded financially and technically.
The company we are partnering with built the biggest hydro power plant in the world,, it is in the world record at the moment, it's called the famous Three Gorges Dam in China. Beyond that also is the IT segment. We are looking at developing a world class facility for IT outsourcing, especially in the area of call centers which will involve both the private and the public sector.
What are the impacts of ICT on Nigeria?
The impact is very glaring and obvious, in a market that is charged in excess of 89 million subscription rate of telecom operators; it is obvious that it has made a gross impact on the 25 percent of the population. Everybody now has phones and aggressively moving ahead from word to data, most people with their phones can send e-mails, browse the internet, and do a lot of things. People are getting more and more compliant with the new age of the 21st century.
Do you think Nigerians are actually moving with the trend?
Yes, absolutely, I do. How do you relax? I browse, I watch movies, I hang out with friends.
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