First smartphone made in Ivory Coast caters to local users

A customer holds the Open G smartphone, which can speak local Ivorian languages, at a shop in Abidjan, Ivory Coast July 25, 2022. REUTERS/Luc Gnago

ABIDJAN (Reuters) - An entrepreneur in Ivory Coast has created the country's first locally-made smartphone, which aims to improve accessibility with voice commands in local languages for users who can't read and write.

The phone, called "Open G", went on sale last month in the West African country. It can understand commands and respond in 16 of Ivory Coast's approximately 60 spoken languages, including Dioula, Senoufo and Bété.