ICT CS announces Kenya will start manufacturing phones in July 2023
Cabinet Secretary for ICT and Digital Economy, Eliud Owalo, has confirmed that the government of Kenya, will start manufacturing phones worth $40 (about Sh4,000- Sh5,000) come July 2023.
According to the government, this is the best way to address the unemployment in the country.
"Although telcos such as Safaricom, Airtel, and Jamii Telecom are competitors, they have realized they need to work together to leverage some level of creativity and innovation to address a deficit in the market. That deficit is smart-enabled phones," said Owalo.
"With the infrastructure such as Konza already in place, we are going to roll out this initiative and start manufacturing software by around July," he added.
"The infrastructure is there. The telecom companies will set out their operations. They are not just going to manufacture telephone equipment but we are going to start manufacturing ICT software. In the not distant future, Kenya will be a net exporter of technology as opposed to being an importer," he said.
The CS added that since not all Kenyans will have smart-enabled phones, the best solution to fill the market void is by manufacturing ones that will benefit them.
"For example, today we have launched the hustler fund; most people we are targeting are those at the bottom echelons of the Kenyan society. Not all of them will have smart-enabled phones. That is a market void that needs to be filled," he said.
