Xiaomi ready to launch a dedicated African department

The African smartphone market is not controlled by Apple, Samsung, Huawei, or another big global brand, but by Transsion Holdings. This company owns three popular brands in the region, namely Infinix, Tecno, and Itel. Xiaomi devices can be purchased in Africa from third-parties or directly from China, and the resulting prices are often much higher than they should be. Fortunately, things are about to change thanks to Xiaomi's decision to enter the region directly.

Xiaomi's CEO, Lei Jun, has recently revealed in a memo to employees that an "African Regional Department" will be tasked with the expansion of the brand on the dark continent. This new department will be headed by Wang Lingming, who will report to Wang Xiang. In the future, African customers will be finally able to buy Xiaomi handsets for better prices, not to mention the ability to enjoy after-sales support, as well as official launch events for the local markets.

In early 2018, Samsung dominated the African market, followed by the Tecno and Itel brands, Huawei, and Infinix. However, the three brands belonging to Transsion Holdings made it the undisputed leader of the market. However, Xiaomi might turn the market upside-down in the long run, especially since this Chinese brand is selling much more than just phones nowadays.

Xiaomi has recently made some other interesting changes, including the merger of the patent and legal departments, the introduction of a new Southeast Asia Region department that is in charge of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Indonesia, as well as new leadership for the Russia and CIS regional departments.