Electronics export council to unveil Africa-focus strategy

The Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC), sponsored by the Indian government, will soon evolve a multi-pronged strategy to tap the huge potential for export of electronics hardware and software to the African region.

Factoring in inputs from all stake-holders -- industry, the government and the trading community, the strategy will clearly delineate a country-specific approach for increasing the penetration to these markets, ESC said in a statement here Sunday.

"The region (Africa) is of paramount importance to future growth of the Indian electronics and IT sector on account of the fast digitalization programme embarked by some of the African countries," said D.K. Sareen, executive director, ESC.

The ESC's Africa strategy will divide the continent into five regions depending on their geographical proximity. Each geographical unit will be studied in depth to ferret out the potentials, road-blocks and the likely results that can be achieved in a conceivable time-frame, Sareen said.

To start with, East Africa will be the geographical unit that will be taken up for intense study.

ESC is organising a meeting here this week with heads of African missions to collate their views for joint working to tap the electronics and IT sector for mutual development.

The 14th edition of ESC's flagship event "Indiasoft", being held in Mumbai in November this year, will be attended by 35 delegates from 13 countries including Ghana, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Tanzania, which are making significant investments in the IT sector.

"ESC's initiative to evolve an Africa-focus strategy is to collate information from sources which are doing businesses with countries, irrespective of the presence of Indian missions (in those countries)," Sareen said.