Lenovo Group Ltd. (992), the world’s largest maker of personal computers, plans to expand its smartphone business in three west African countries this year as it builds on a surge in demand in Nigeria.
The company will sell models of data-enabled phones including the Vibe X, S650 and S930 in Nigeria starting in the first week of March, Graham Braum, Beijing-based Lenovo’s general manager for Africa, said in a Feb. 4 interview in Lagos. The company may start sales in Ghana and Ivory Coast later in the year, he said.
“Smartphones are fast becoming a primary platform for work, entertainment and social networking” in Nigeria, Braum said. Africa’s most populous nation with 170 million people is the next big market for Lenovo following a “successful” entrance in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, he said.
Lenovo agreed to buy Google Inc.’s Motorola Mobility phone unit for $2.91 billion last month as it builds up its smartphone business to offset dwindling PC sales. The deal creates the world’s third-biggest smartphone vendor, behind Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Samsung Electronics Co., both of which already sell phones in Nigeria.
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