When Customer is happy, Sky is the limit.

Over the recent past I had the privilege to visit one of the most innovative Global tech companies – Huawei, engaging on matters Innovation, digital transfromation, tech evolutions and the opportunities that Digital presents. I was amazed at the scale and growth the company had made with product lines spanning sectors of Telco, transport, port, energy, education, oil and gas, consumer products just to name a few. The sheer number of employees engaged was one to be envious of. Boasting 200K employees at a time many are downsizing is no mean fit.

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., a Chinese multinational technology company, was founded in 1987 by Ren Zhengfei in Shenzhen, China. Initially, Huawei focused on producing telecommunications equipment but has since evolved into a global leader in telecommunications infrastructure, consumer electronics, and technology innovation.?At 80 years.?Founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei still makes an entry to the offices much to the admiration of many of the staff working in the amazingly beautiful Huawei Shenzen campus... Article 2 loading.

This article highlights my observations and shares some lessons for Kenya as we seek to advance our plan in Innovation and industrialisation. Huawei Journey can inspire Kenya’s vision towards an industrialising economy. While we have our leaders Safaricom, Mpesa among others, ?there is still more to do, what if the largest companies could break the barrer to next level:

Investing in R&D: if we are to develop tech companies that scale. We need to prioritize innovation and develop proprietary technology and platforms that enable us to reduce reliance on external suppliers. This means investing in R&D and intentionally prioritising some solutions made in Kenya for Kenya and beyond. ?Huawei has?over 140,000?active patents worldwide; making it strategically poised for innovation in the next frontier.

Focussing on Underserved Markets: Huawei’s first product was targeted at rural communities. and the solutions were delivered so well that the customers demanded more. To scale fast, innovators must identify a target niche or underserved markets to build a strong customer base.

Adaptability: Huawei has purposed to evolve with the customer need and to diversify product lines in adjacent markets with pivot strategies in response to market challenges or restrictions. As this happens new products emerge and grow. It was amazing to try out the Electric vehicles, 3 flip phones, smart watches, smart TV, earpods etc. the list is just growing....

Global Vision, local relevance: Huawei has intentionally sought to develop an international strategy that delivers its products across global markets while tailoring offerings to meet local market needs. This ensures that home ground is covered even as more markets are sought. By investing in international hubs the company ensures it can remain responsive to local needs

Strong Partnerships: ?one of the greatest lesson was that the organisation may losse a deal, but should not loose a customer, this approach ensures they purpose on shared goals., partnerships even in a business environment, this has allowed the org to leverage partnerships to gain credibility and resources.?

Customer-Centric Approach: At Huawei, The customer must be happy is a statement i found very seriously taken. This small but very important gesture ensures the organisation can build trust by providing reliable, high-quality solutions working with the customers. How many times do we say take it or leave it?

Long-Term Strategy, it was clear that the organisation has adopted a, long-term perspective with sustained investment in growth and innovation; over 50% of all staff are in Tech. R&D and product development.

Staying Resilience to Challenges: While on the tour, we realised that despite the geopolitical dynamics in Tech, the company is steadfast in its quest to develop competitive solutions. ?Even working through contingency plans for self-reliance; perhaps we haven’t seen the best of the Mobile phone software yet? The pullout of Android from the company’s mobile devices meant that they got to work to develop an alternative; piloting and rolling out in their local market which is over 1.4B, making 17% of the world’s population..

Employee Empowerment: it was not lacking to see that the company has invested in some of the best working spaces in the region. Making it a sought after employer, this investment has led to attraction of top talent ?which is motivated, to drive innovation.

As we work to develop Konza Technopolis as a smart city, science park and area of innovation, i am inspired that perhaps we can see a such an inspirational, life changing and economic gamechanger find its footing in Kenya in our lifetime. As smart as we are, it is very much possible

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