User friendly

Jemi Okpara said much of the success of these products has to do with pricing and design. 

"Most Africans like Chinese made mobile phones because they find the products cool and affordable," Okpara explained. He believes that the success of "Made in China" is all about its understanding of its users. An average Chinese made mobile phone is capable of providing features like Internet access, radio, games, video and music players, camera, photo manager and others.

According to Guan Yazhou, who has visited eight African countries in the past two years to study and develop the local mobile phone market, although international giants like Nokia and Blackberry dominate the high-end market, Tecno, G-Tide and other Chinese made mobile phones have won a huge number of ordinary users on the continent. Guan estimated that in some countries like Egypt, the market share of Chinese mobile phones could reach 50 percent.

Branding

As in many other African cities and towns, in Lagos, Nigeria, people can easily buy a Tecno mobile phone either in a computer village or in a specialized telecommunication devices shop called "slot."

"For those who make 20,000 naira ($132) a month, which is average, a Chinese mobile phone is usually among their first choices since it only cost them 5,000 naira ($33) more or less," Cao Kai, a Chinese who is now working in Lagos, told ChinAfrica.

But the reputation achieved so far in the African market by Chinese made mobile phones has not convinced everyone. Some market analysts are concerned about the sustainable development of the industry. They pointed out that compared with industry giants like Nokia, Blackberry and Samsung, Chinese mobile phones still lack influence on the high-end market, which represents the future profit of the business.

"We must start to prepare now," Guan Yazhou said, adding that with the growing reach of the optic fiber network, surfing the Internet with mobile phone has become an important method for many African people to connect to the outside world and gather information.

"It is about a competition of new technology, new marketing and new understanding of African users," he said.