Experts have named 2017 the
year of artificial intelligence and this may positively or negatively impact on
small and medium entreprises (SMEs), depending on their capacity.
While some of these ventures are not ready to leverage on technology
by stamping their presence online, some others are struggling to stay afloat.
Nevertheless, industry watchers opine that the economy would
fare better this year based on the capacity, technology, innovation and
ingenuity of economy managers and business owners as they explore digital
frontiers and global trends to drive economic activities.
Technology, has been hyped as the game-changer in the survival
of any business in the coming months for Nigeria, other emerging markets and
developing economies, where reaching a global market is possible through
digital technology and hyper-connectivity.
Against this backdrop, CityNG, a software firm, has emerged to
take businesses to the zenith by building SMEs on its website at a very reduced
cost.
In view of the high cost of web design, dwindling fortunes and
low technology capacity to respond to emerging digital trends, many business
owners have literally become obsolete, unstable or stagnant in their operations, despite huge
investments.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of CityNG, Mr. Emmanuel
Onafowokan, the rationale for CityNG is to help businesess succeed and create
innovative brand perspectives that deliver competitive advantage and inspire
creative thinking.
“At CityNG, our goal is to support and promote successful
entrepreneurship by introducing business owners and seasoned professionals to
the world wide web (www) and technology innovation as a means of accessing
user-friendly global networks to market faster and gain a wider customer base,
hence higher revenues and stability.
“It is almost impossible to remain relevant in any business
today without an online presence, which fosters human potential by creating
helpful, meaningful services that fulfill human needs across an avalanche of
digitised environments.
“We are passionate about inspiring and supporting the growth of
business owners to utilise the world wide web to promote their business and
take advantage of a global market as digital interfaces get faster and
automated in a rapidly changing technology.”
He added that in a world that is changing through technology, it
is crucial to make “business owners follow current trends and not get left
behind; brick-and-mortar is rapidly being replaced by click-and-order.”
Onafowokan stressed that, at CityNG, they provide trend-setting
insights into web designs for constructive, evolving technology based on three
critical elements, speed, reach and affordability.
“ We provide websites for as little as $4. This is the total
cost and includes hosting and setup as well. Our goal is to drive down prices
as low as possible so as to encourage new and existing businesses to take their
brands online,” he said.
On the security of CityNG, Technical Director of the
organisation, Aderemi Odufuye, noted that the website is hosted in the United
Kingdom and the backend has been tightened to prevent hacking.
He stated that CityNG has a target of 5,000 registered customers
at the end of this year.
“We are constantly monitoring the sites to curb vices on the
platform. We are also working on legal issues that could help SMEs to grow. Our
main purpose is to get SMEs online and not just an online directory but a
business online network with a quick link and search to Google,” Odufuye said.
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