Africa’s phone scene in 2025 is no longer just about distribution. Multiple countries now assemble or manufacture devices locally(most visibly Egypt and Ethiopia), with smaller but notable efforts in Nigeria and Uganda. Local assembly is being pulled forward by import restrictions, IMEI whitelisting, and incentives aimed at on-shoring jobs and know-how. Egypt, for example, has become North Africa’s fastest-growing smartphone market in large part due to its domestic manufacturing push.
Egypt: the continent’s fastest-maturing phone hub
HMD (Nokia) — Assembled in Egypt
Through a partnership with Etisal for Advanced Industries, HMD manufactures Nokia phones locally. A common model tied to this initiative is the Nokia C32.
Samsung — Assembled in Egypt
Samsung expanded its Beni Suef facility to include smartphone production, ramping capacity into millions of units annually. A representative device is the Galaxy A15.
SICO — Egypt’s indigenous OEM
SICO remains Egypt’s homegrown brand, first to launch locally designed smartphones. The Nile X stands as its flagship case study.
Ethiopia: Transsion’s manufacturing backbone
Transsion (TECNO / itel / Infinix) — Assembled in Ethiopia
Transsion operates one of Africa’s largest factories in Addis Ababa, producing devices across its TECNO, itel, and Infinix lines. A showcase device is the TECNO Spark 20 Pro+.
Nigeria: small-scale assembly and localization efforts
Imose Mobile — Assembled in Nigeria
Imose assembles entry-level smartphones and IoT devices locally. One reference model is the Imose Bam III.
Uganda: government-supported assembly
SIMI (Engo Holdings) — Assembled in Uganda
Uganda’s Soroti Industrial Park hosts the SIMI line, which has produced feature phones and budget smartphones. Example: SIMI S300.
MiONE — Assembled in Uganda
MiONE established a smartphone assembly plant, focusing on affordable Android devices. Example: MiONE U1.
Algeria: legacy of domestic brands
Condor — Algeria’s homegrown OEM
Condor has a legacy of making smartphones for the North African market. Its Allure M3 is a representative device.
What “Made in Africa” means in practice
Most African plants assemble imported components (kits shipped in parts), rather than fabricating from raw silicon. Even so, this generates jobs, builds technical capacity, and reduces reliance on gray imports.
Multinationals (Samsung, Nokia/HMD, Oppo) now assemble locally alongside regional champions (Transsion) and homegrown OEMs (SICO, Imose, SIMI).
Some high-profile projects, such as Mara Phones in Rwanda and South Africa, struggled financially, highlighting both the promise and pitfalls of local production.
Bottom line
In 2025, Africa is pivoting from importing phones to increasingly assembling them. Egypt and Ethiopia are the engines, with Nigeria, Uganda, and Algeria developing smaller but meaningful ecosystems. The most compelling investment opportunities lie in scaling existing plants, localizing supply chains, and financing the transition from feature phones to affordable smartphones. “Made in Africa” phones are a platform for real, scalable growth in the continent’s digital economy.
