Samsung to set up smartphone assembly in Pakistan, says Hammad Azhar

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar has said South Korean tech giant Samsung is looking forward to setting up a smartphone assembly plant in Pakistan

“Smartphone production in Pakistan is multiplying following Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) implementation and Mobile Policy launched recently,” Azhar said in a tweet.

He added that both the Samsung Pakistan MD and CEO appreciated the government’s policies and were now actively considering setting up a smartphone assembly plant in Pakistan.

The Federal Cabinet in June approved the country’s first mobile device manufacturing policy which had been prepared by the Engineering Development Board (EDB), a techno-economic arm of the Ministry of Industries and Production (MoIP), through extensive consultation with relevant public and private sector stakeholders.

The policy aims to incentivise local assemblers who will provide jobs to local engineers, skilled and semi-skilled educated youth. Pakistan is well poised to capitalise the competitive human resource advantage to attract investment in the sector from across the globe. The policy aims at the localisation/indigenisation of the parts of the mobile phone in a phased manner.