It was on 22^nd July 2015 that the mobile assembly plant of the Congolese tech entrepreneur Vérone Mankou (pictured), owner of the VMK brand, located in Mpila, Brazzaville will be officially commissioned. While waiting for this moment, the facility started operating. It already produced the first “feature phones”, basic telephones, since 13^th July. These telephones are the results of the work of a hundred young Congolese supported by Chinese technicians.

According to Vérone Mankou, “starting from this month, now that the plant is ready for full operation, all feature phones such as Elikia XS will be assembled on site. Which will make this telephone, the first telephone “made in Congo” (…) We will do here what we are doing in China. It is only the raw materials that will be imported from Asia, as we do not manufacture screens and processors in Congo, for example”. In producing the first VMK telephones, the company will be able to set in motion its project to expand to new markets, particularly Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon or Democratic Republic of Congo.

Regarding the manufacture of smartphones and tablets, it is not for now. It will be necessary to install the production line for these devices and this cost a lot in terms of equipment and training personnel. However, Vérone Mankou is not daunted by this challenge, as he is confident of getting to that stage with time.