NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Alpesh Patel, a Ugandan-born entrepreneur, served as director of sales in Africa for Motorola before quitting the American telecommunications giant to launch Mi-Fone, an African mobile phone brand. Mi-Fone was launched in April 2008, and the company produces mobile phones for the mass market, ‘Bottom of the Pyramid’ African consumer.

Five years on, Mi-Fone has been a solid success. The Mauritius-headquartered tech company has sold over 1.5 million handsets across Africa. Patel recently announced plans to build a $30 million manufacturing facility in Nigeria. The company has also done close to $30 million in revenues since inception. Patel recently spoke to me, recounting his journey, revealing his audacious plans for the future and musing on Africa’s mobile revolution.