Tecno to build handset production plant in Ethiopia

Hong Kong-based handset manufacturer Tecno Group has announced it will build a “third phase” mobile phone assembly and production plant in Addis Ababa. The firm already runs two factories in the Ethiopian capital.

According to the Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency (ERTA), the Ethiopian government has already dedicated an investment area for the establishment of an ICT Park to support the development of information and communications technology services, where Tecno Group’s plant is under construction.

Ethiopia’s state minister of communication and IT Getachew Negash said besides other regulatory incentives, the current reform concerning value addition on technological products has attracted a number of assembly companies.

In March this year, Korean device maker Samsung also announced it had concluded an agreement with the Ethiopian government to establish a laptop and printer assembly plant in the country.

Tecno Mobile, which started operation in Ethiopia in 2009, has currently employed about 400 workers in the country, according to the ERTA.