Ethiopia’s inaugural smartcard manufacturing plant has entered into production.

As reported by Ethiopian Monitor, the US$4 million facility (which has a capacity of 40 million smartcards per year) has signed a three-year contract with the state-owned Ethio Telecom to supply GSM SIM cards. The first batch will be delivered this month.

‘We have a long-term vision, and we will move into the banking and national ID sectors soon,’ according to Prateek Dayal, executive director of Lootah Industries, which owns the production plant.

‘The factory has been designed to easily increase its current capacity to 120 million smartcards as more operators enter the country, banking and ID businesses come online, and the exports start.’

9 November 2021
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