Plans for Zambia phone plant move ahead as scheduled

M.Mobile Zambia is moving forward with plans for a mobile-phone assembly plant, despite a Malaysian company's abandonment of the project.

The construction of Zambia's first mobile-phone assembly and manufacturing plant began as a joint venture between M.Mobile Zambia and M.Mobile Malaysia at a cost of US$3 million. M.Mobile Malaysia, however, pulled out of the partnership last week after failing to comply with M.Mobile Zambia's requests on specific design features and manufacturing capabilities.

The plant is scheduled to be operational by next month, and the commissioning of the plant will go ahead as scheduled, said M.Mobile Zambia partner Mohammed Seedat.

"A team of professionals in mobile phone and software industry from various countries has converged the latest technology, design, assembly and software that suits the African market," Seedat said via telephone July 25.

Manufacturing experts will hail from Hong Kong, China and Malaysia, while machinery from Malaysia is expected to arrive in the country by the end of the week, Seedat said.

The assembled mobile phones will be sold on the Zambian market and exported to a number of African countries, according to Seedat.