Ghana - A mobile phone assmbly plant promises to employ 30,000

[the Accra Daily Mail] LG Communications, Ghana's first mobile phone assembling company, has started operations in the country with a promise to give jobs to 30,000 youth from the National Youth Employment Programme by the close of the year.

Mr Roland Agambire, Chief Executive Officer of the company, said "rLG Communications has already concluded plans for the construction of a state of the art multi-purpose mobile phone assembling plant in Ghana, the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa."

The new assembling plant would be located within the Spintex industrial area.

Mr Agambire said the company was also implementing the ICT module of the NYEP under which it is to train a million young people, out of which it had already trained 10,000 in ICT, sales and marketing.

He said the company had 18 different brands comprising the G-series and the r-series of phones, adding that since it started assembling phones locally six months ago, it had already captured 30 per cent of the local phone market.

"We are looking forward to capturing 80 per cent of the market by the close of the year, particularly because of the feedback we get from patrons of our r-72 phone, which looks very much like Nokia E72."

rLG phones recently signed a $2.5 million contract with Chinese software and telecom infrastructure manufacturer, Huawei, to help produce 100,000 phones in Ghana.

Mrs Millicent Atuguba, Communications Manager of rLG, told the GNA that Huawei was only in to give technical advice but the actual manufacture of parts and assembling was being done by Ghanaian technicians.

The company also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Hong Kong-based laptop manufacturer, Ke Zhi Guang (KZG) Holding Limited, for the production of mobile phones in Ghana for the African, Asian and European markets at a contract sum worth a billion dollars.

Mrs. Atuguba said even though rLG phones were assembled in Ghana, they were already popular in Asia.

She assured the public that rLG phones were not only sleek but also durable, saying "our phones are more durable than some of the world acclaimed big brands.

"In spite of the fact that our phones are durable, they come with a two-year warranty - when a customer returns a phone we will just change it for you and recycle the one you returned locally," she said.

rLG phones look very sleek, like any of the smart phones from the big and popular brands like Nokia, Samsung, Blackberry and others, but rLG phones are far cheaper in terms of price.

"Our phones are durable," Company CEO Mr Agambire said, but because the phones have been on the market for only six months, their durability is yet to be confirmed.

Ghana: Gets First Mobile Phone Assembling Company