ZKTeco, one of the world leaders in biometrics technology, identity management and security applications, has said it plan to establish its business in Nigeria that will serve as the hub for the sub-Saharan market.
The Chinese company, with operations in over 35 countries, also plans to establish a research and development centre in the country.
The global president and founder of ZKTeco, Mr John Che, who was in the country on a working visit, gave this indication in Lagos.
A statement quoted Che, to have revealed that Nigeria was considered to act as hub for the rest of Africa because of the country’s strategic position on the continent, including its population, its market size, GDP, as well as the government’s efforts to transform the economy via its diversification agenda.
“Along with the office will be the establishment of an R&D centre at the University of Lagos to take advantage of the abundant local talents to create solutions that can run on ZKTeco platforms.
“ZKTeco already has a presence in South Africa and Egypt, but based on our growth objectives and the fact that Africa has a strong growth prospect, we decided to increase our stake in Africa and we identified Nigeria as the epicenter of Africa, representing the strongest growth prospect on the continent, with opportunities to collaborate on its identity management and biometrics standard needs,” the statement quoted Che to have said.
Also, the Chief Executive Officer of SB Telecoms and Devices Limited, Mr Afolabi Abiodun, said ZKTeco’s relationship with Nigeria started about eight years ago when SB Telecoms became its accredited partner in Nigeria, also servicing the West African sub-region.
Che stated that with ZKTeco’s expertise in biometric technology, identity security management, and time management, the company hopes to collaborate with Nigerians, both in the private and public sectors, in line with the company’s growth objectives, to help fast track the country’s development.
Biometric technology, the ZKTeco boss said, was the future of society.
He stated that Nigeria would achieve its developmental goals faster if it got its biometric identity management right.
He gave the example of China’s remarkable growth over the past three decades, which he said was largely driven by the Asian giant’s ability to establish a robust identity management process.
“Identity management through biometrics is very critical to growth and development. Biometrics helps to drive the efficient management of time and resources, helping to boost productivity,” Che added.
