Issues Engulfing Operation of Internet Café in Kano State

Abstract

This paper aimed at discussing issues engulfing operation of Internet Cafes in Kano State. The history of Kano being a center of commerce, trade and industries give rise to modern business technology which is Internet technology that resulted to Internet Café business in Kano State. Internet café is a place that houses computers, scanners, printers and other electrical and electronics devices with which people get access to internet services like research, e-commerce, e-banking, e-learning and e-mails. Operation of this business within and outside Kano metropolitan faced with different issues specifically related to the survival of the business and these include: electricity, technology , security, customers and license were thoroughly discussed. Data and information were collected by means of methods of fact-finding techniques which are: questionnaire, interview and observation from Internet Café or Cybercafé owners and their customers in order to find the actual problems engulfing them. Data collected were analyzed using a simple percentage method. Findings reveal the problems militating against Internet services as well as recommended solutions that would facilitate successful operation of Cybercafés businesses economically and financially in Kano State.Keywords: Internet Café, Cybercafé, Kano State, Operation, Service, Metropolitan, Technology, Entrepreneurship, Electricity I. INTRODUCTIONWith the involvement of information and communication technology (ICT), many businesses come onboard especially modern businesses that relied largely on internet technology for easy accessibility and interaction. One of these businesses is Internet café. As asserted by [7], Internet café is a place that houses computers, scanners, printers and other electrical and electronics devices with which people get access to internet services like research, e-commerce, e-banking, e-learning and e-mails. It also provide other computer related businesses that include but not limited to digital photograph, spiral binding, lamination, photocopying, checking result for students, scratch card marketing, university and institution online registration services, electricity payment and many more. Today, internet cafés in Kano state are spreaded all over within and outside the metropolitan city managed by young people between the ages of 18 to 30. Some of the owners of the internet café are secondary school leavers who may have attended roadside computer institution. But majority of them have attended higher institution of learning or degree holder. So most of them were located within or near academic institution or formal organization on the main roads as well as market places within and outside the city. There were many computers in the internet café to serve the need of diverse users. The benefits of which have great impact on computer profession as it is means of survival for many computer graduates. It is also a means where students get more practical as there is a little or none given in their various institution of learning. I...