from MARIA MACHARIA in Nairobi, Kenya
Kenya Bureau
NAIROBI, (CAJ News) – KENYA aims to increase up to fivefold the production of locally made smartphones as well as position itself as a global hub in the semiconductor industry.
According to John Tanui, Principal Secretary of the State Department for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Digital Economy, Kenya’s East Africa Device Assembly Kenya Limited (EADAK), launched in 2023, is enhancing the way with affordable 4G-enabled devices, producing 3 million units annually and creating hundreds of jobs.
“With 66 million mobile phones in use, the potential to scale up to 10-15 million locally-manufactured phones annually is significant,” Tanui said.
He was speaking in Nairobi at the Smartphones For Africa Summit, held under the theme, “Increase Local Smartphone Manufacturing.”
Tanui said with Africa’s 1,4 billion people, mostly young, smartphones were key to unlocking opportunities in education, digital services and economic participation.
He said smartphones played a key role in achieving the East African country’s Vision 2030 and advancing the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) plan.
In a related development, Tanui said Kenya was upbeat at prospects of being a hub in the lucrative semiconductors sector.
“Kenya is now positioned to expand further with a CHIPS (and Science) Act agreement with the United States, promising to enhance local semiconductor capabilities and fostering a new era of tech innovation and industrial growth,” Tanui said.
Ending today (Friday), the two-day Smartphone for Africa Summit is a landmark event to advance Africa’s local smartphone manufacturing.
Among the hosts are the African Continental Free Trade Area (How big is the AfCFTA), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA), Qhala and Smart Africa.
– CAJ News