Johannesburg, 07 May 2007
The government of Mozambique has agreed in principle to the opening of a new 3 000 unit per month Sahara assembly operation in Maputo.
This development is seen as the foundation operation for what all stakeholders anticipate will be a joint venture involving Sahara Holdings and the Mozambique Information and Communication Technology (MICT) organisation.
A memorandum of understanding regarding the operation was signed by Sahara Holdings and Professor Doutor Eng Ven^ancio Massingue, the Minister of Science and Technology in Mozambique.
MICT is a semi-government organisation involved in various sectors including education, business incubation and a science park.
The agreement makes provision for a 3 000 unit per month plant that will assemble and distribute both laptop and desktop units. It represents the preliminary stage of the launch of a 5 000 square metre ICT and component distribution plant to supply infrastructure and product to the region.
"Sahara plans to invest over three million US dollars in equipment and infra-structure in a phased manner to set up a state-of-the art assembly operation," says Atul Gupta, MD of Sahara Computers. "This operation will supply key existing and emerging markets in Mozambique."
Sahara Holdings, in conjunction with MICT, has identified a number of areas that will benefit from the solutions provided via this plant. These areas include government, education and the local corporate sector, with a strong focus on ICT and telecommunications development.
"The venture will meet specific requirements from a broad spectrum of users. Specifically, the plant will supply cost-effective solutions for university students, secondary schools, local business and the government. However, aside from direct supply of technology and infrastructure, the venture is expected to address a number of key socio-economic objectives," says Gupta.
According to representatives from Sahara and MICT, these objectives include the set-up of additional assembly operations for PCs, laptops and digital lifestyle products, job creation, helping to streamline technology and maintenance and support of IT product services, as well as provide skills transfer and training.
"In the long term, the core focus is going to be the development of local business and entrepreneurs through the creation of dealerships and resellers throughout Mozambique. We will also explore the possibility of expanding capacity to export products to neighbouring countries," adds Gupta.
"We see this venture as not only an exciting new development for the company and its reach into Africa, but also a significant investment in Mozambique and its people," Gupta concludes.
The project is expected to start operations during the second quarter of 2007.
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