Emir Bardakçı
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Lei Jun later told participants at the 8th China-Africa Entrepreneurs Conference in Beijing that Xiaomi will continue investing more in Africa. Already operating in 16 third-party markets in Africa, including Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria, Morocco, Algeria, and Kenya, it is committed to extending its investment to new business lines such as new energy vehicles.
Xioami Expansion into Africa
Lei Jun pointed out that Xiaomi entered the African market in 2017 and has since contributed greatly to the continent’s digitization and informatization. In the second quarter of 2024, the shipment of Xiaomi mobile phones in Africa jumped 45% year-over-year while securing a 12% market share, placing the brand in the top three smartphone vendors on the continent.
He further added, “Other Xiaomi products, including TV, wearables, and robot vacuums, have also been very popular in Africa.
Collaboration with African Enterprises
Lei Jun said in his speech that Xiaomi would always connect with African enterprises to deepen the partnership, especially in new industries like new energy vehicles. Xiaomi looks forward to every possibility of collaboration with African enterprises, he added in a bid for further enhancement of technological development and accessibility in the continent.
Xiaomi Shifts Focus to Local Production While announcing the strategy to match growth, Pan Jun, General Manager of Mi TV, announced that Mi TVs assembled in Egypt would soon be made available throughout the African market. “In line with the growth plan, Pan Jun, General Manager, Mi TV, announced that Mi TVs assembled in Egypt would be available soon in markets across Africa. This demonstrates Xiaomi’s commitment to investment in the region and to offering premium but affordable state-of-the-art technology to African consumers,”.
Booming Africa Smartphone Market
A report by Canalys, on the African smartphone market, it recorded a 6% YoY growth with 17.8mn units in Q2’24. According to it, Xiaomi’s performance was driven by its particular strategies in Nigeria and Egypt, mounted with aggressive sales and further local manufacturing investments. How far Xiaomi has reached out to Africa is that it apparently stands at the threshold of emerging as one of the leading forces on the continent in consumer electronics, among nascent industries.
