By Emma Okonji
Logitech, a multinational company that produces technology devices like video conferencing kits, keyboards, wireless mouse, wireless headsets, webcam and other creativity tools and equipment, has partnered Proxynet as its authorised distributor for all its tech products in the West African region.
Giving details of the partnership deal at a recent press conference in Lagos, the Managing Director of Proxynet Communications, Mr. Ifeanyi Ozo-Onyali, said with the partnership, Proxynet became the authorised distributor for Logitech West Africa, to serve all Logitech resellers in West Africa and grow the Logitech business, leveraging on its spread across West Africa to grow the brand, build proper reseller network and support structure.
According to Ozo-Onyali, “The partnership with address all areas of grey market, and provide the right channel, where retailers will have the opportunity to buy quality and standard products from the authorised distributor at competitive pricing. The essence of making Proxynet the distributor for the West African market, is to further grow the market for Logitech and make its products more visible across West African countries, including Nigeria.
“Proxynet will enhance the product distribution through its offices in Nigeria, Ghana and Cote d Ivoire, and it is currently in partnership with IT Companies, and Computer Accessory Dealers that will drive sales of Logitech products in the West African regional markets.”
Before now, most dealers do not know how to get genuine products from Logitech and most of them resorted to buying from grey market, which has always remained a high risk market because of the influx of substandard products around the grey market that are not from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
By buying through the Proxynet channel, dealers will not only have quality and standard products, they will also get training, market support and products availability from Proxynet, Ozo-Onyali further said.
Giving the reason for the choice of Proxynet, Ozo-Onyali explained that Proxynet was instrumental to the growth of Samsung’s B2B business in Nigeria as well as other big brands and would bring its expertise to bear in the Logitech distributor partnership deal.
“The issues with logistics will not be a challenge because Proxynet has put in place, a framework and the right infrastructure that will help distribute the products to resellers, who will in turn sell to the end users. We will ensure we make the products available in Nigeria, Ghana and Cote d Ivoire to serve both the English and French speaking regions in West Africa.
“Logitech has been in business, selling to different regions of the world but they do not have distributors in West Africa that will market their products in the region, a situation that created room for grey market business, because buyers do not know where to get original Logitech technology products, but with the partnership deal with Proxynet, retailers can easily reach Proxynet in our offices in Nigeria, Ghana and Cote d Ivoire to purchase genuine Logitech products at competitive pricing,” Ozo-Onyali further said.
Logitech International S.A. is an American-Swiss manufacturer of computer peripherals and software, with headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, and Newark, California.
Proxynet Communications is a pan African PRO AV and IT Solution Company, with branches in Abuja, Nigeria; Accra, Ghana; Abidjan, Ivory Coast and South Africa. with business presence in Gambia and Cameroun, with its numerous global, strategic partnership, offering the best range of IT solutions to meet the needs of the customers.
As part of the roadmap in 2021, Logitech will be launching Logitech University, an online portal that will have resellers access training, marketing resources and certification. Logitech would be setting up a demo center through Proxynet Communications in West Africa across all branches in West Africa, which will serve both resellers and end-users experience center.
