Despite economic instability, the mobile phone market in Africa is booming. This market is dominated by foreign brands which share unequal shares.
Chinese mobile phone manufacturer Transsion, owner of the Tecno, Itel and Infinix brands, continues to dominate the African mobile phone market. In the first quarter of 2024, Transsion shipped 9.5 million units on the continent, according to a report published in June by market research firm Canalys.
With a market share of 52%, this dominance is largely attributed to Transsion’s strategy, which primarily targets entry-level models, thereby meeting the changing needs of African consumers. The company’s brands, Tecno, Infinix and Itel, have focused on ultra-low-cost phones, typically selling for less than $100, capturing the low-income consumer segment.
For the first quarter of 2023, Transsion occupied this leading position with 7 million units shipped, recording an increase of 36% year-on-year. The company is followed by Samsung, which sold 3.8 million units, but saw its shipments decline by 14% over the same period. In third position, Xiaomi records a remarkable growth of 115%, increasing its market share from 6% to 11% in the first quarter of 2024 with 1.9 million units. Brands Realme, Oppo and other players share the rest of the market.
The African smartphone market overall recorded robust growth in the first quarter of 2024, with an increase of 24% year-on-year, reaching 18.2 million units shipped compared to 14.7 million the previous year. Forecasts call for moderate growth of 4% by the end of 2024.
« By 2025, 4G penetration is expected to reach almost 75% of shipments, supported by various initiatives from regional governments and telecom operators. Currently, Africa has the highest mobile phone penetration rate in the world, at 46%. However, the gradual shift to smartphones should continue to fuel this growth “, explained Manish Pravinkumar, principal consultant at Canalys in Dubai.
Samira Njoya
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