Zimbabwe to manufacture 50,000 computers a year through Chinese partnership

Nigel Gambanga Avatar
PC Hardware

image credit:intelliconblog

It has been reported that the Zimbabwean Government signed an agreement with the Inspur Group, a Chinese multinational tech firm, with the aim of establishing a joint venture computer manufacturing company in Zimbabwe.

Inspur is a significant global player in ICT, having crafted a strong presence in server manufacturing as well as software development and has been courted by other global tech giants like Cisco and IBM for strategic partnerships.

It is anticipated that the company formed by Inspur and the government will manufacture 50,000 computers a year. This agreement is also set to culminate in the development of a National Data Centre; a  high-tech park; projects for e-education, e-taxation and e-migration; as well as the development of a high-performance computer system.

This deal becomes the latest in Zimbabwe-China tie-ins which have been reached across multiple sectors this past year. Just recently the Chinese president Xi Jinping was in Zimbabwe and he signed off on 12 deals which also included investment in ICT through TelOne’s fibre rollout.

China has also had a significant role in other Zimbabwean ICT projects for other public sector enterprises like NetOne through its LTE rollout as well as Transmedia and ZBC through the national digital migration project.

In private sector engagement, this has been witnessed through a $500 million investment made in Econet Global which devoted most of this facility to Econet Zimbabwe.

Beyond the heavy political undertones that are carried with all Zim/Sino deals, this relationship with Inspur looks like a good deal for Zimbabwe. Should the company formed reach its full scale, there are opportunities for an economy and tech environment that could use the right sort of partnerships.

On the surface, there are benefits such as employment creation and skills transfer. This could also mean the exploration of an economic growth path that is centred on manufacturing for ICT, something that Zimbabwe would benefit from tapping into.

9 comments

  1. Terry

    Who still wants a computer??

    1. Anonymous

      Dude computer r at the heart of everything, don’t show yo lack of knowledge here

    2. Eng.A.Mberengwa-(BeMC)

      Everyone needs a computer. for you to type on this platform you have used either a cell phone ,a PC(Personal Computer) or you asked someone to do it for you. However for your comment to be posted the device which you were using managed to communicate with other computers which are at some locations and other computer monitored processes occurred. So yaa i think you and i need computers daily.

      1. Tapiwa ✔

        There’s a grain of truth to his/her question. People are no longer buying computers as frequently as they did in the past (I.e. 90s). I am still using a computer I bought in 2010 (though I switched to SSD & bumped the RAM). They will have challenges moving that stock.

        The Chinese aren’t really vested in the success of the company: remember its a loan that will need to be paid back (and is being channelled to a Chinese company). I don’t doubt the Chinese would give Zimbabwe a loan for even a submarine manufacturing plant- and promptly contract a Chinese construction co. Loans are not free money.

        1. Mberengwa

          True but the other point to consider is that these PC’s will need replacement as they will get old.

    3. macd chip

      So you used miracles to post here?

  2. tinm@n

    What type of computer, TechZIm?

    We would expect a more clearer definition from you. Are you talking PCs here?

    If it were components used by mobile phones & PCs, then we’re talking… but our labour isnt cheap and our worker has rights, so that rules it out.

    So what benefit is this so-called computer?

    If it’s PCs, which bright-spark thought it would be a great idea?

    Unless it will be guaranteed good quality, it will only serve to frustrate a mass of people in some future.

    The Zimbabwean leadership lacks the discipline that make the Chinese succeed in what they do. They shy-away from hard-work & honesty… and if caught get promoted.

  3. Ndege yema shanga

    tava ne 35years, ma megadeals achingo sainwa, asi chabuda hapana. pane 1 or 2 vachatenga ma range rover asi kupovho hakuna chinosvika. chikwereti chinongozo iswa ku hurumende, then kotorwa mari ye tax kubhadhara.
    then ko sainwa rimwe mega deal, totanga futi cycle yacho

  4. Nigel

    Ini zvangu zii sa microprocessor architect.

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