HP Nigeria is significantly increasing investments in digital skills development and strategic partnerships as it seeks to deepen its presence in one of Africa’s fastest-growing technology markets.
In an interview with ITWeb Africa, Emmanuel Eze, country director of HP Nigeria, stated that the company's strategy is focused on increasing digital access, supporting small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and driving digital inclusion through collaboration with public, private, and non-profit partners.
“Nigeria is a strategic market for us. Our priorities are centred on expanding access to modern and secure technology, strengthening ecosystem partnerships, and building digital inclusion programmes that support SMBs and communities,” said Eze.
The tech ecosystem in the West African nation has seen rapid maturation in recent years, driven by a surge in start-ups and increasing digital adoption.
However, persistent challenges, including skills gaps, and infrastructure constraints, continue to slow the pace and inclusiveness of the progress.
The multinational technology company is positioning partnerships as a key mechanism to address these barriers, it said.
One of its signature initiatives is a partnership with NABU, a tech-enabled non-profit dedicated to reducing illiteracy through multilingual children's books.
The partnership has seen the launch of a creative lab and the development of multilingual, culturally relevant literacy content for children. The programme is designed to improve foundational learning while expanding access to digital resources.
Furthermore, the firm is working with Google and UpSkill Universe on the Skills for Business programme, aimed at equipping SMEs with practical digital marketing and AI capabilities through bootcamp-style training.
Participants are also given access to HP LIFE, the company's global entrepreneurial learning platform.
“We believe innovation has to be practical and locally relevant. It should solve real constraints, whether those are skills gaps, access barriers, or security concerns, and help people and organisations become more productive,” asserted the HP executive.
HP has also partnered with She Code Africa to enable digital skills training targeted at women, including introductory exposure to AI tools, and collaborated with Slum2School to extend access to technology, grants, and learning opportunities to underserved communities.
According to Eze, these initiatives reflect a broader strategy of linking technology adoption with capability-building to ensure long-term impact in Nigeria.
“The most durable growth comes from combining technology with capability-building, training, access, and real-world use cases, so that adoption translates into productivity and opportunity,” he said.
As more Nigerian businesses and services move online, HP is also seeing growing demand for secure and reliable digital solutions. The company has highlighted cybersecurity as an increasingly critical issue for organisations.
“Cybersecurity is increasingly a business and resilience issue, not just an IT issue. Public reporting in Nigeria has specifically discussed HP’s perspective that threats are affecting organisations of all sizes and that AI-enabled approaches can help strengthen protection by improving detection and response,” explained Eze.
Looking ahead, HP expects emerging technologies, including AI to play a leading role in shaping productivity, customer experience, and security.
However, Eze emphasised that the benefits of these technologies will depend on how widely and responsibly they are adopted.
“For us, the focus is on ensuring that adoption is inclusive. That means pairing technology progress with skills development and strong partnerships so more people and businesses can participate in the digital economy,” he said.
As competition intensifies in Nigeria’s technology sector, HP’s approach signals a long-term bet on ecosystem development, one that goes beyond hardware to enabling skills, access, and opportunity at scale.
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