Last May, the Kenyan Minister of ICT revealed the government's intention to offer locally assembled smartphones for sale. A few months later, thanks to a public-private partnership, the project is becoming a reality.

On Monday, October 30, Kenyan President William Ruto (photo, center) officially launched East Africa Device Assembly Kenya (EADAK), a low-cost smartphone assembly plant located in the town of Athi River. The fruit of a partnership between the government, private telecommunications companies Safaricom and Jamii, and Chinese firm Shenzhen TeleOne Technology, EADAK is expected to assemble between 1.2 and 1.4 million smartphones each year.

They will be available nationwide in the stores of the two local private partners and on the Masoko e-commerce platform.

"The EADAK-assembled smartphone will cost about Sh7,500 and comes with pre-installed e-Citizen to enable more Kenyans to access government services easily [...] We have the benefit of both cheaper devices, approximately 30 percent less, compared to imports and creating jobs locally. The EADAK plant currently employs 300 people," says President William Ruto.

The move is part of the government's drive to accelerate Kenya's digital transformation. Earlier this year, President Ruto secured $390 million in funding from the World Bank to implement various projects aimed at accelerating the digital economy. With EADAK, the Kenyan authorities aim to facilitate access to ICT gadgets for people in a country with 29.7 million active smartphones, which represents 46.9% of the 63.3 million cell phones connected to the network, according to the Communications Authority.

"The launch of EADAK reaffirms our belief in the power of connectivity to transform lives and drive economic progress. [...] This partnership underscores our relentless pursuit to expand 4G access and empower Kenyans through affordable, high-quality smartphones, create employment opportunities, and grow our economy," said Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa (photo, right).

Adoni Conrad Quenum