Canon, a major player in the optical imaging industry, has empowered and developed youths in Africa with in-demand photography and video skills to make them self-reliant and contribute to Nigeria’s and the continent’s growth. Somesh Adukia, managing director of Canon Central and North Africa, shares the company’s plans for talent development in the Nigerian and African markets. He also talked about how the company plans to impact 10,000 individuals through the Miraisha programme by the end of 2030. Pius Dukor, brings the excerpts:
Canon is a major player in the optical imaging industry. How big is Canon, and how does Nigeria’s market potential align with your broader Africa strategy?
Canon’s journey in Africa began 10 years ago, and this year marks our 10th anniversary of operations. At that time, we started with a fresh perspective and an open mindset, confident in our world-class imaging products.We have significantly invested in innovation, with eight percent of our company’s annual turnover still allocated to research and development. Regarding patent registration, Canon ranks among the top 5 companies in the USA. Before entering Africa, we recognised that the African mindset, consumer behaviour, needs and economy differ significantly from the rest of the world. With this understanding, we tailored and customised our direction and approach to meet the needs of the African customer.
We also ensured our business is aligned with our partners who promote the Canon brand across the African region. Through this process, we have established local operations in six African countries, including Nigeria, where Nigerian professionals represent the Canon brand. Their understanding of the local culture and dynamics has yielded positive results. By combining our high-quality products, advanced technology, and strong local presence, we have successfully entered the African market and expanded our presence in Nigeria.
As a responsible business, how is your organisation committed to Nigeria, its vision for growth, and strengthening local presence?
From the outset, our commitment to Nigeria began with establishing a sales presence. We initially appointed country distribution managers to ensure Canon representation. As our business grew, our organisational structure evolved to better support our channel partners, leading to the introduction of channel account managers.
Recognising Nigeria’s significant size and the strong presence of corporate entities, we then hired key account managers. Their specific focus was to build relationships with major industries across the country, understand their unique needs, and tailor solutions where Canon could enhance efficiency and value.
Furthermore, alongside our local employees, we actively forged local partnerships. Our local presence extends beyond our personnel to encompass these collaborations.
Today, we partner extensively with system integrators, as Nigeria boasts one of the largest networks of system integrators, serving as a crucial channel to address the diverse needs of corporate clients and various sectors. We have cultivated strong relationships with these system integrators and established a solid presence within the broader channel ecosystem.
We also conduct periodic marketing campaigns that generate employment opportunities for local marketing companies. Additionally, we invest in various events, such as our recent R-Tour, where we showcased our complete range of camera products. These events create considerable buzz and provide further employment opportunities for local talent. Looking ahead, we have significant plans to continue investing in such initiatives to engage local consumers in Nigeria.
As Nigeria continues to battle with economic challenges, in form of forex, inflation, insecurity, what is your view of the Nigerian market, are you optimistic about doing business in Nigeria?
As a multinational organisation, Canon operates with a strong commitment to corporate social responsibility in every market we enter. We adhere to all local rules and regulations, including those established in Nigeria. From our entry into African markets, we recognised their distinct nature compared to the rest of the world.
We anticipated ongoing challenges and chose to focus on identifying opportunities within these challenges rather than being deterred by them. Consequently, despite the economic headwinds, our local presence, strong partnerships, and adaptable product solutions have enabled us to tailor our strategies to the specific needs of the Nigerian market.
Canon been doing business in Nigeria for years now, What would you say have been your contributions to the economy, and what is your CSR investment plan in Nigeria?
Canon firmly believes in continuous innovation to ensure our products and solutions consistently meet evolving market needs. We demonstrate this commitment through substantial ongoing investment in Research and Development, enabling us to introduce new products and technologies annually.
Recognising that a nation’s progress relies on adopting the latest technology, we have collaborated with the Nigerian government to facilitate the optimal use of our advanced products and innovations, which also supports our business growth. A key example of our economic contribution is in digitisation, where our digital imaging scanning solutions play a crucial role.
Digitisation is vital, and our offerings in this area support major banks, which are significant drivers of the Nigerian economy. Beyond our direct economic impact, our social programmes, such as Miraisha, focus on creating future employment for individuals facing hardship. Through this initiative, we identify individuals in underserved communities, provide them with comprehensive training in photography and videography, empowering them with skills to generate income and build sustainable livelihoods.
How can you tell us about Canon’s 2025 strategy for Africa and its expansion into emerging customer segments?
As a sales-driven organisation, our continuous focus is on innovative strategies to enter new African markets with a creative approach. Our 2025 strategy involves expanding our presence within Africa, ensuring deeper penetration of our latest products. While some of these markets or products may have existed for some time, our renewed focus will address previous oversights.
We are also strategically targeting emerging customer segments and channels, particularly content creators and influencers, who have become significant voices in Africa today. We aim to build strong partnerships with these influencers, recognising their value by integrating them with our product solutions.
Furthermore, enhancing customer experience is a key priority. Understanding the critical importance of service for Nigerian customers, we have ensured a robust network of service centers and extensive service reach across the country to guarantee customer satisfaction. Additionally, we firmly believe that a skilled and motivated workforce is essential for customer satisfaction. By fostering a happy, skilled, and competent employee base, we empower them to serve our customers and partners with greater diligence. This holistic approach, centered on innovation, customer experience, and employee experience, has proven successful across Africa, including Nigeria.
From your knowledge in the industry so far, how has Canon’s approach to redefining industry standards been an enabler in talents’ growth?
Canon’s approach to redefining industry standards has significantly fostered talent growth, particularly within the burgeoning creative sector, encompassing content creators and influencers. We aim to be at the forefront of engaging with this segment and are very confident in our partnerships with these creative professionals. Our various talent engagement programmes have yielded notable success stories that underscore Canon’s commitment to talent development and management. Our company’s core principles of innovation, customer experience, and employee experience drive this direction. Internally, a key strategy has been to empower our employees by granting them significant independence and freedom in their roles.
We have made substantial investments in our personnel, both at our Dubai headquarters and among our colleagues representing Canon across African nations. In our Canon Nigeria office, we have witnessed numerous success stories, with individuals who joined at entry-level positions now advancing to managerial roles and demonstrating strong potential for future growth.
Furthermore, our Miraisha programme has already provided training to approximately 1,000 individuals, and we aspire to expand this impact to 10,000 individuals by the end of 2030.
How can the Nigerian government and other stakeholders leverage the innovation that Canon provides to empower youths through skill development?
Considering impactful initiatives such as Miraisha, I believe governments at all levels can formulate programmes that contribute significantly to society. Furthermore, governments can forge partnerships with corporate entities like Canon to establish advanced digitisation platforms. These platforms, leveraging technological advancements, can effectively empower the youth, who represent the future of any nation or enterprise. I see this as a mutually beneficial opportunity for both African governments and Canon. We are eager to explore such collaborations wherever feasible, always mindful of our responsibilities as a corporate social citizen and our commitment to respecting the rules and regulations of every country in which we operate.
What have been your greatest challenges doing business in Nigeria, and what are the possible solutions?
While challenges are inherent in any market, our strong local presence in Nigeria allows us to identify opportunities within them. We are the only brand in our sector with a dedicated local office in Nigeria.
Today, we proudly have a team of 13 professionals representing Canon across the country, with a presence in both Lagos and Abuja, the capital city. Furthermore, our collaborations with local enterprises have a significant positive impact. Our local partners and employees possess invaluable cultural understanding, enabling us to adapt more effectively than other companies and navigate challenges with greater agility.
How has Canon tailored its innovations to better use AI to service customers in Nigeria?
Canon dedicates significant time, resources, and investment to Research and Development. Recognising the current rapid growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI), we also acknowledge the need for a cautious approach to its implementation, as AI presents both benefits and potential drawbacks. As a socially responsible organisation, Canon is committed to developing products, solutions, and services that benefit society and prevent misuse.
Our Research and Development team is actively exploring products that can integrate AI responsibly. Currently, some of our cameras incorporate AI to enhance image and video quality. However, we are proceeding thoughtfully to ensure that our AI applications generate societal value and are not misapplied.
Where do you see your operation in Nigeria in the next 5 years? How bright or otherwise is it?
Looking to the next five years, we hold a very optimistic outlook for our operations in Nigeria, primarily due to the country’s significant size, substantial population, and vibrant youth demographic. However, our confidence in continued investment is most strongly rooted in the remarkable resilience of the Nigerian people. Our strategy of identifying opportunities within challenges is directly inspired by observing Nigerian citizens. Whether it’s a business partner, a channel partner, or a consumer, their unwavering resilience in the face of adversity is evident. This determination to overcome obstacles and progress positively is essential for sustained success in dynamic environments. Therefore, the combination of Nigeria’s market size, its large and youthful population eager to embrace new technologies, and the inherent resilience of its people makes us very confident in our ongoing investment in the Nigerian market in the years to come.
