TECNO’s plant in Nigeria‘ll be ready this year —Okonkwo

Although many Original Equipment Manufacturers, (OEMs) in mobile phone segment and other devices operating in the Nigerian ecosystem have been struggling with infrastructural challenges, TECNO Mobile has summoned the courage to be the first to set up a manufacturing plant in the country.

In this interview with Jonah Nwokpoku , the Deputy General Manager, TECNO Mobile, Nigeria, Mr. Chidi Okonkwo while highlighting what their growing consumers should expect in 2015 and beyond said that the first phase of the factory will be completed by the end of the year.

Excerpt

What should we expect from TECNO this year?

This year, we expect to improve on what we did last year. We want to see that we have more marketing activities this year. Of course we expect more competition and even new entrants into the Nigerian market and we will definitely provide more interesting and innovative products into the Nigerian market. Of course we have been taking all sorts of survey in the Nigerian market to see how we can bring products that will reflect the Nigerian lifestyle.

We want to bring products that will contain what Nigerians need. So we will be launching a number of devices and there will be innovative marketing campaigns to back up these products that will be launched in the Nigerian market. We as a brand are also thinking seriously about Nigeria. This is because Nigeria is one of our biggest markets. And we have a huge investment plan in Nigeria.

Right now we are setting up a manufacturing plant in the country and we hope that the first phase of that factory will be completed by the end of the third or fourth quarter of this year. And when this is achieved, it is going to provide a lot more employment opportunities for Nigerians and we hope that this will be done this year.

How much investment have you made in the manufacturing plant project?

There is a budget which I may not be able to disclose in public at this moment but the final investment figure will still be known by the end of the day. This project is something that our management is very keen and they are pushing very hard to ensure that it is achieved.

Doing business in Nigeria is very difficult given the infrastructure challenge, what are the challenges you expect and how you expect the authorities to come in?

One of the biggest challenges we are facing in Nigeria is fake or counterfeit TECNO products. We will appreciate if the authorities can continue to support us in fighting the influx of fake products into Nigerian market.

What kind of support exactly do you expect from government?

The Nigerian government has always been supportive to us. We hope that we will get more government support in the future since we are fully committed to Nigerian market.

Is it a manufacturing or an assembling plant and what is going to happen within the first phase of the project?

We are building both manufacturing and assembling plant. By the time we complete the first phase we should be able to start manufacturing and assembling TECNO phones in Nigeria. Don’t forget that we are still at the pre-investment stage right now and we are collating all sorts of information to help us accomplish this.

We have been working on this since last year. We have already secured the land and have started preparing the site at Epe in Lagos here where it is located and we have to go through to get the necessary approvals. We are making sure that we get everything ready to make sure that this project comes to fruition.

When exactly should Nigerians expect the first made in Nigeria TECNO phones?

It is expected that once the first phase of the plant is completed in the third or fourth quarter, we will have the first batch of made in Nigeria TECNO phones.

TECNO has been recording success in the Nigerian and other African markets where they operate, what can you say are those success factors? What has TECNO been doing differently?

At TECNO we have been working very hard to make sure that we bring in products that are needed by Nigerians. We as a brand, having been focusing on the African markets and we also have been focusing a lot on the Nigerian market. We have our research and development team always around taking feedback about from our users and we try to produce phones that are tailored towards what the Nigerian consumer needs.

You will realise that our product is African/Nigeria centric, so that when you use our products, you will realise that they are truly made for the African market. Also things like our after sales support centres make it possible for our customers to get all the help they need since contact information are also loaded on our devices. We make products that are truly relevant and needed by the Nigerian consumers. Also we have tried to get close to the market and the consumers that we serve.

We pay attention to what are needed in trying to ensure that these products are useful in the hands of the consumers. We have also built a very strong team in Nigeria that are supporting that are supporting our business all over the country. Again, don’t forget that our products, both our feature and smart phones come with whole lots of features that are comparable to our global competitors and yet people don’t have to rip their pockets to purchase these products. They are very affordable devices.

This has made it possible for Nigerians to have access to products that are able to help them to do whatever they want to do on their mobile phones. These are the factors that have brought us to the level we are in today.

Does the affordability of TECNO devices resonate with high quality?

TECNO products are undoubtedly made with quality materials. And there is a proof of originality and authenticity of the products that you put out to sell and of course these products also undergo all sorts of approval processes through the regulatory bodies and government agencies in the country before they are sold in the Nigerian market.

So before these phones are sold, we carry a lot of quality assurance tests on the products, to make sure that we are not bringing substandard products into the Nigerian market while keeping our products affordable. We want to see that more Nigerians use quality and affordable mobile devices to enhance their lifestyle wherever they are and in whatever they do.