We gave away a Lenovo last year in the Intel Ultrabook Challenge. Lenovo wants to do business in Kenya, and not only with personal business customers and end users, Lenovo wants to do business with government and private organizations alike in Kenya. It is for this reason that an Executive Director and GM of EMEA at Lenovo, Oliver Ebel, visited the country and met with these various stakeholders last week in Nairobi, Kenya.
According to IDC 2012 Quarter 4 numbers, Lenovo is the world’s number 2 PC manufacturer hence its advance into emerging markets like Kenya which many corporate entities see as the new frontier for growth in business across the world. and Yes, Lenovo does have its office in Kenya among 7 strategically placed offices in the Middle East and Africa region.
“Kenya is one of Lenovo Africa key growth markets and we are here today to affirm our commitment to customers and partners in the country,” said Oliver Ebel. “The ICT sector is continuously developing in Kenya and technology plays a key role in the development and economic growth of countries; that is why, it is important for Lenovo to bring innovative devices to Kenya to empower businesses and consumers. This further complements our mission to become the leader in PC+, by addressing the increasing demand to stay connected on different devices.”
A key highlight of the Lenovo Exec’s visit to Kenya is the launch of the Lenovo Partner Network program, designed to impart skills on partners and gain a strong distribution network across the MEA region. This program in Kenya will help existing and new partners with in-depth knowledge and tools to enhance their relationship with Lenovo, including access to a free online resource and a loyalty reward scheme to educate members both existing and potential on the benefits of working with Lenovo.
The program is designed in 3 tiers of membership:
- Member Partner
- Premium Partner
- Gold Partner
Both Premium and Gold members are entitled to additional resource and benefits not accessible to the basic entry level ‘Member’.
“Our channel partners are fundamental to the success of our business as we strive towards becoming the number one PC manufacturer globally. The channel is our primary route to both the enterprise and consumer market and it is important our partners understand our products and capabilities. Our relationship with our partners is the crux of our success globally and in Africa; we invest heavily in this relationship and ensure our product portfolio and program is designed to enable our partners’ success.” commented Graham Braum, Lenovo’s General Manager who is formerly Acer Africa’s Country manager, a company he’s been a part of for the past 15 years.
Mr. Braum is now charged with spreading the latest Lenovo innovation such as the ThinkPad and IdeaPad technology in Africa as a whole. A quick search online will reveal that Lenovo is indeed an innovative company as far as hardware is concerned with disruptive technology in computing such as the Convertible series of Intel Ultrabooks and everyday computing touch devices that can flip, fold, rotate and twist in ways before unimagined that are fit for use by corporations, SMEs as well as end users like students.
“Consumers today want devices that keep them mobile and this is exactly what Lenovo’s latest Ultrabook™ Convertibles are about. Packing the latest Intel® Core™ processor with touch screen capabilities, these devices will allow users to get the best of a tablet and laptop in one compact device.” reiterated Joy Downing, Intel Market Development Manager for South Africa.
