The solution presented itself in the form of the Hongdian Corporation, an exhibitor at AfricaCom, whose pay-off line is ‘Connecting Things’, and precisely what Juma required. Hongdian is a leader in machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions. New Link, a business development consultancy, is requiring an array of what Hongdian can offer including the intelligent gathering and interpretation of big data, with which it can better service its clients and they in turn can pass onto their customers. In short, smarter connected products, a core offering that Hongdian supplies.

Negotiations between the parties took place throughout Tuesday and by late Wednesday, a co-operation agreement was struck and signed. The value of the contract is as yet to be determined, but it is believed to be substantial.

“Attending AfricaCom has been an excellent investment for us,” smiled Juma. “We are looking forward to working with Hongdian. For us, it is not just about the product and the services or the cost that Hongdian can provide, but the trust and relationship we have managed to build, even in such a short time. I anticipate this will be a long-term agreement and we are looking forward to launching a prototype platform early 2018.”

Tom Cuthell, Portfolio Director at KNect365, organiser of AfricaCom commented on the agreement saying: “AfricaCom has always positioned itself as a place where business is done. This has been evident over the years with a number of excellent collaborations and partnerships that have been struck. We are very pleased for both parties and wish them well. We also look forward to seeing them both return to AfricaCom in 2018.”

For more information please see: www.hagbani.com and www.en.hongdian.com.