NetOne IT plans US$12m device manufacturing plant in Zambia
Zambia
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07 Oct 2022
Zambia-based IT solutions and services company NetOne IT has launched Neo, which it has branded the Southern African country’s first locally-produced laptop. The company is up against HP, Dell, Lenovo, Acer and Asus in this market segment, and plans to construct a US$12-million manufacturing facility to churn out 30,000 units per month.
NetOne IT said it has acquired leasing rights in free zone where the facility will be located.
The company expects the country’s Ministry of Education to be the main consumer of the devices.
It added that its Project Digitise division is running a Teacher Laptop Program through which a teacher can purchase a laptop + MiFi + 1.5GB data (12 months) + US$3000 worth of digital literacy training for a monthly fee of K220.
NetOne IT has emphasised the support it has received from government and said authorities have already committed “towards standardising devices for government consumption”.
The company believes a device and gadget manufacturing facility could transform the technology sector in Zambia by creating local skills, affordable devices and also opportunities for regional trade.
“The launch of Neo ties in with this objective and to holistically support government’s digital transformation agenda,” it added.
NetOne’s CEO Bejoy Nettikadan stated that the company’s key objective is skills development, employment creation “and the execution of world-class technology in Zambia”.
The company has been operational in Zambia for 15 years. It claims several milestones, including the launch of the country’s first Tier III datacentre facility in 2013, the first formalised device leasing platform in 2020, the first wallet-agnostic payment platform in 2021 and the first Security Operations Centre (SOC).
“One of the biggest fears that the larger international corporates have is data security and also the various challenges and costs involved in setting up an in house SOC. The SOC will function 24/7/365 while monitoring the various threats associated with data and mitigate them. Huge amounts of time and funds have gone into the proper execution, training and set up of the NetOne SOC and so they feel the nation can make use of the facility to safeguard sensitive data,” the company added.