Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo has opened a new assembly plant in Oran, Algeria, as it expands local manufacturing and positions itself to serve one of North Africa’s largest smartphone markets.
The facility is operated in partnership with Algerian company Smart Technologie Innovation and covers around 7,000 square metres.
Initial production capacity stands at approximately 2,000 smartphones per day, with output expected to increase to around 6,000 devices daily as the plant expands.
Plant targets higher local production
Vivo and STI plan to gradually increase the share of smartphone components manufactured locally.
The objective is to raise local content over time and support the development of a broader domestic electronics and device manufacturing ecosystem.
The facility currently employs nearly 200 people. As production scales, the partners are targeting around 600 direct jobs and more than 1,200 indirect jobs.
That gives the project an industrial development dimension beyond final device assembly.
Algeria seeks to reduce reliance on imported devices
The launch comes as Algeria continues to encourage local electronics manufacturing and reduce dependence on finished device imports.
Local assembly can help manufacturers lower some import-related costs, improve supply flexibility and align more closely with domestic industrial policy.
For Algeria, the broader opportunity lies in moving from simple assembly toward deeper localisation of components, supplier networks and technical capabilities.
Vivo targets large domestic smartphone market
Algeria provides a sizeable market for local production.
According to figures cited from Ecofin Agency, around 84.3% of Algerians aged over 15 own a smartphone, giving the country the highest smartphone ownership rate in North Africa.
Annual smartphone demand is estimated at close to 7 million units.
That level of demand creates a meaningful domestic base for manufacturers looking to justify local production rather than relying entirely on imports.
Oran facility gives Vivo room to scale
Vivo primarily competes in the mid-range and high-end smartphone segments and also produces accessories and software.
The Oran plant gives the company a local manufacturing base from which it can increase production capacity as demand develops.
Scaling from 2,000 to 6,000 devices per day would materially increase the facility’s output and could give Vivo greater flexibility in serving the Algerian market.
Why this matters
The opening of the Vivo plant reflects a wider shift in African device markets from pure import dependence toward local assembly and manufacturing.
For Algeria, the strategic value lies not only in producing more smartphones domestically, but in whether projects like this can create supplier ecosystems, technical jobs and higher local content over time.
For Vivo, local production offers a way to strengthen its position in a market with high smartphone penetration and substantial annual demand.
Editor’s note
The key question is how far localisation will go.
Assembly plants can create jobs and reduce reliance on finished imports, but the larger economic impact comes when manufacturers begin sourcing more components, services and technical capabilities locally.
If Vivo and STI succeed in raising local content as production scales, the Oran facility could become more than a final-assembly operation and contribute to a broader electronics manufacturing base in Algeria.
