NCC seeks local smartphone factories to reduce phone prices

The Chairman of the Governing Board of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Idris Olorunnimbe, has pledged to secure presidential incentives for investors willing to establish smartphone factories in the country.

This is as he promised in a statement released on Saturday that Nigeria could soon see a new wave of smartphone manufacturing investments.

The statement was from his speech at the Digital Africa Summit Roundtable in Shanghai, China, on June 24.

Olorunnimbe said local smartphone production remains the most sustainable solution to Nigeria’s growing device affordability challenge and a critical step toward deepening digital inclusion.

He pledged to personally engage President Bola Tinubu to secure waivers and other forms of government support for manufacturers that commit to commencing factory construction in Nigeria before November.

“If any manufacturer in this room, or any manufacturer listening to these proceedings will commit to building a factory in Nigeria, and to beginning construction between now and November, I will take that commitment to the President myself and seek the waivers and the support you need to make it happen,” he said.

According to him, attracting smartphone manufacturers to Nigeria would significantly reduce the cost of devices, create thousands of jobs, strengthen local value chains and reduce the country’s heavy dependence on imported handsets.

He noted that the current reliance on imported devices exposes consumers to high prices, foreign exchange volatility and supply chain disruptions, making smartphones unaffordable for many Nigerians.

Olorunnimbe said local manufacturing would allow a larger portion of production costs to be denominated in naira, helping to stabilise prices and improve access to smartphones for millions of Nigerians currently excluded from the digital economy.

He added that affordable smartphones are essential for participation in online education, digital banking, e-commerce, remote work and access to government services.

“Local manufacturing will help expand digital inclusion by making quality smartphones more affordable and accessible to ordinary Nigerians, especially young people, students and small business owners,” he said.