Race on for Africa-Developed Smartphones
Nigeria’s Phone and Allied Products Dealers Association (PAPDAN) announced recently that the organisation will soon be launching two new phones – made exclusively in Nigeria.
To be called the iQ and MaxTel, the devices are a result of 20 Nigerian investors pooling resources to develop mobile devices that cater to the Nigerian population.
The announcement comes hot on the heels of South Africa’s Seemahale Telecoms and CZ Electronics’ announcement yesterday that the two companies will also soon start the designing, developing and manufacturing process of smartphones in South Africa.
President of PAPDAN Godfrey Iyke Nwosu said that “PAPDAN has identified a growing appetite for cutting-edge technologies among Nigerian telecoms consumers and the two Nigerian brands will cater to three market segments in the feature, medium and smart phone segments to offer choice to consumers.”
Nwosu added that the members of PAPDAN sell in excess of two million mobile phones monthly in Nigeria and several other countries in the region, and that the new devices will provide home-grown solutions for the Nigerian technology market.
While PAPDAN will be developing and manufacturing the two device for Nigeria, Seemahale CEO Thabo Lehlokoe believes their South African project is a first in Africa.
“This project is a first in Africa as far as I am aware. It’s not right that out of a billion or more phones in Africa, none are made or assembled in Africa. Some are designed here, but they’re then made in China,” he said.
Credit: IT NEWS AFRICA
