Phone Dealers Seek Local Content in Mobile Device Market
The Phone and Allied Products Dealers Association (PAPDA), the largest trading group in the Lagos Computer Village, has said it will encourage the growth of local content in the mobile device market in the country, just as it is planning to launch its online store. The group said this at the weekend when it completed its transition programme with the election of new national executives.
“We will push for more local content in the mobile devices market in the country. Before the expiration of our tenure, we will ensure that we have our local brands to compete with the existing international brands,” the re-elected president of the association, Godfrey Nwosu said in his acceptance speech.
The president and secretary of the association, Nwosu and Obinna Otozie were re-elected unopposed just as most positions were not contested as contenders stepped down at the last minute.
The election, which was observed by security operatives and other trade associations in the Computer Village, was the third in the history of PAPDA. The new executives will lead the body for three years.
Head, Transition Committee of PAPDA, Mr. Ohachusim Sunday, commended the contestants and members of the association for keeping the peace during the polls. He urged other trade associations to take a cue from PAPDA in the management of transition programme.
Nwosu thanked members of the electoral committee for overseeing a credible election. “I am aware that several hours and dedication was devoted to ensure we had a rancor-free election”. While appreciating the conduct of members during the election process, he requested the members to support the vision and leadership of the group,” Nwosu said.
Reviewing the performance of the immediate past executives, he said: “The executives in the past three years, have invested mainly in building a strong foundation for a dynamic and progressive association. We have proved that our primary objective is to protect the business interest of our members and develop a good working relationship with relevant government agencies and the regulatory bodies such as Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Consumer Protection Council (CPC) and other critical stakeholders.”
Commenting on members’ welfare, Nwosu disclosed that the association had arranged a favourable credit support scheme from some financial institutions.
Through this, he said, PAPDA members can have access to overdraft to finance their businesses. Under his leadership, the organisation has established healthcare delivery scheme to provide affordable medicare for members.
“We have done very well to protect our members from any form of intimidation. We have shown to our members and Nigerians that we have a law in Nigeria, as we have sought redress through legal means for our collective interest. We have commenced plans to establish PAPDA cooperative, where thrift savings and borrowing will be encouraged.
I will lead our association to affiliation with other professional bodies where our members will take advantage of seminars and conferences geared towards self-improvement which will in return grow our different businesses,” he said.