Very Smart Phones

Chinese phone manufacturer aligns with Zambian market

- Derrick Silimina

When most people think of China in Africa, mining and construction come to mind. But things are changing. While the developed world still too often views the continent as a charity case, many Chinese companies see mutual business opportunities.

China’s increased involvement in the African telecommunications industry is part of its multidimensional engagement with the continent to enhance trade and cooperation.

In Zambia, it’s hard not to see China’s footprint wherever one goes, as its investments in various economic sectors in the Southern African country over the years have been extensive and unprecedented.

Chinese engineers have cooperated with their Zambian counterparts in designing and building the country’s iconic buildings such as the Government Complex, a gleaming 24-story skyscraper that houses government offices. Additional infrastructure includes the illustrious Tanzania-Zambia Railway, roads, hospitals and schools.

Furthermore, the presence of Chinese manufacturers in Zambia’s telecommunications industry have added much competition in the market share.

One of these, Transsion Holdings, a private Chinese smartphone manufacturer based in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province in south China, which owns brands such as Tecno, Itel and Infinix, has had great success against bigger and more established global brands like Samsung and Apple. These brands are specially designed and manufactured for the African market and are not available in China.

Transsion is one of the top-selling mobile phone manufacturers in Africa, according to the 2019 Vendor Data Overview by the International Data Corp. (IDC), a premier global provider of market intelligence.