Chinese telecom company Huawei on Tuesday signed a partnership deal with Kenya's mobile phones retailer FoneExpress in a retail expansion plan aimed at increasing its coverage and market share in Kenya.

Huawei Devices Kenya General Manager Mark Hemaobin, who inked the deal in Nairobi, said the agreement will enable the company to reach out to middle level and premium customers, hence boost the market share across over 100 shops countrywide.

"Huawei is keen to providing quality and affordable smartphones to as many Kenyans as possible. For us to meet our business goals and also increase our local smartphone market share from the current 13 to over 25 percent this year, partnerships like this will be key for us," he said.

The partnership is part of a wider plan that will see Huawei expand its retail and reseller businesses to cover the whole country.

Huawei Device Kenya is currently selling devices through business to business partners like Safaricom, Airtel and Orange -- the three main operators in the East African nation.

The Chinese firm also opened a new flagship shop In Nairobi, and will be looking to set up additional shops in key towns in Kenya this year.

As part of the deal, Huawei devices will be selling in all FoneExpress in major shopping malls and retail outlets across the country.

FoneXpress Service Director Brenda Okwiri said the partnership will enable the company to bring Huawei devices to its customers in the region as yet another choice in the company's portfolio of International Brands in a vibrant mobile device industry.

"This initiative is part of our commitment to offer customers a wider variety of original smartphone brands, and serves as an endorsement of the Huawei brand and product range," Okwiri said.

"We will work closely with the Huawei team to offer our customers' value-for-money and essential after-sales support that will also be mirrored on the back-end as a dedicated newly appointed Authorized Service Centre,' she added.

(Xinhua News Agency April 26, 2016)