The price of new brand smart mobile phones in Uganda is expected to come down next year following government’s decision to allow an American company CTI Africa to start assembling its phone products in Uganda.
The CTI Africa arm-LifeMobile- was unveiled yesterday by the Minister of State for Investment and Privatisation, Evelyn Anite, at the National Enterprises Corporation (NEC) headquarters in Bugolobi, Kampala.
“We are very excited that CTI Africa is going to start assembling mobile phones in Uganda. Ugandans are carrying so many mobile phones but none is manufactured here. So, if Ugandans buy these phones, we will diversify our economy because the dollars that would be spent on importing smart phones will be used here,” minister Anite said.
She said NEC, has already allocated LifeMobile a site on 6th Street in Industrial Area where the assembling plant will be built.
Anite said President Museveni would launch the first LifeMobile smart phones early next year.
The CTI Africa chief executive officer, Michael Landau, said during the assembling of the phones they would also help develop specialised applications to improve healthcare, mobile banking, insurance, microfinance and education services.
The company is expected to invest US$10million (about Shs40 billion) into the venture and create at least 400 jobs in the first phase of operation.
He said LifeMobile already has prospective partnerships with Jubilee Insurance for insurance services, Jumia Uganda for e-commerce, Ecobank and Microfinance Support Centre for e-banking, Medical Concierge and Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau for healthcare services.
“Our applications will be very important in improving people’s lives. We want LifeMobile to be a lifeline to all the digital services available,” he said adding that, “LifeMobile is about using a smart phone as a tool for life as it will have Apps for healthcare, insurance, e-commerce and banking”.
Landau said the firm’s first phones assembled in Uganda would be released between January and March 2019, stating that so far the firm has received orders for at least 75,000 smart phones.
He said they would introduce the hire purchase arrangement to enable Ugandans access smart phones easily.
Maj. Gen. James Mugira, the managing director of NEC, which was tasked by President Museveni to act on behalf of government in the partnership, said the LifeMobile’s presence in Uganda is a symbolic moment. He appreciated CTI for choosing to invest in Uganda.