<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><h1 class="post_title" style="font-weight: normal; "><font size="3"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">First Africa-Designed Smartphone Goes On Sale In Congo</span></font></h1><span class="post_stats" style="margin: 5px 0px; display: block; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Posted on <abbr>December 26, 2012 10:36 am</abbr> under <a href="http://www.ventures-africa.com/2012/12/first-africa-designed-smartphone-goes-on-sale-in-congo/?utm_source=Wednesday%2C+26th+of+December&utm_campaign=PR%2C+Africa+Business%2C+Africa+Economy%2C+Africa+Entrepreneur%2C+Ventures+Africa&utm_medium=email#" class="post_stat_category" style="text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; "></a><a href="http://www.ventures-africa.com/category/business/" title="View all posts in Business" rel="category tag" style="text-decoration: none; ">Business</a>, <a href="http://www.ventures-africa.com/category/tech/innovation-science/" title="View all posts in Innovation & Science" rel="category tag" style="text-decoration: none; ">Innovation & Science</a>, <a href="http://www.ventures-africa.com/category/business/retail/" title="View all posts in Retail & Manufacturing" rel="category tag" style="text-decoration: none; ">Retail & Manufacturing</a>, <a href="http://www.ventures-africa.com/category/business/strategies-solutions/" title="View all posts in Strategies & Solutions" rel="category tag" style="text-decoration: none; ">Strategies & Solution</a>s</span></span><span class="post_stats" style="margin: 5px 0px; display: block; "><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></span></span><span class="post_stats" style="margin: 5px 0px; display: block; "><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">VENTURES AFRICA – Congolese gadget manufacturer, VMK, has begun selling in Congo, Elikia, Africa’s first home-grown designed smartphone, in what has garnered international attention.</span></span><div class="post_content" style="margin-top: 16px; "><div class="post_content_text"><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The increase of consumer purchase, and the need to close technological gap on the African continent, has driven an influx of tech giants including RIM, Huawei, Techno, and Apple, into the region, with Africa having no indigenous manufacturer amongst the list.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In 2009, VMK committed itself to giving Africans affordable access to technology in the mobile business where Africa is said to be comparatively behind.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elikia, which means ‘hope,’ and is priced at 85,000 FCFA ($171) by two major telecom operators in Congo – Airtel and Warid, has a 650 MHz processor, running gingerbread 2.3.6 with 126 MB of on-board storage.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">iPhone 4, an older Apple smartphone model, costs around $450 on the continent, though the device comes with enhanced features.</span></p></div></div>Read on<div><br></div><div><span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueUI'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><a href="http://www.ventures-africa.com/2012/12/first-africa-designed-smartphone-goes-on-sale-in-congo/?utm_source=Wednesday%2C+26th+of+December&utm_campaign=PR%2C+Africa+Business%2C+Africa+Economy%2C+Africa+Entrepreneur%2C+Ventures+Africa&utm_medium=email">http://www.ventures-africa.com/2012/12/first-africa-designed-smartphone-goes-on-sale-in-congo/?utm_source=Wednesday%2C+26th+of+December&utm_campaign=PR%2C+Africa+Business%2C+Africa+Economy%2C+Africa+Entrepreneur%2C+Ventures+Africa&utm_medium=email</a></span></div><div><br><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Ali Hussein</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">CEO | 3mice interactive media Ltd</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Principal | Telemedia Africa Ltd</div></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><br></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">+254 773/713 601113</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><br></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">"The future belongs to him who knows how to wait." - Russian Proverb</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Sent from my iPad</span></div></body></html>