In the last two decades, the world has witnessed the birth of several leading businesses, which have now become global players in their different business categories. The success stories of businesses such as Google, Alibaba, SpaceX, Facebook, Uber and TECNO can never be forgotten when you look back at the market stereotypes, and dynamics before they began operations.

It would be recalled that in 2006 when TECNO was launched, multinationals such as Nokia, Samsung, Apple and Blackberry, which had been in the African market for 20 years were the major players in the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) market. These companies had major market shares in Africa and made it difficult and seemingly impossible for any other OEM company to penetrate the market. Surprisingly, after only one year of market research and product development, TECNO arrived Africa with a game-changing plan of providing highly competitive mobile phones to consumers on the continent – going on to become a force to reckon with in Africa.

How long does it take to birth a global brand?

This is one question that several market experts haven’t been able to effectively answer because the term “time” in itself is relative in a business context. People might argue that businesses in industries such as private banking, production, and insurance need to exist for over 30 years to be seen as successful whereas, companies in the software, fashion and technology industries might need just a fraction of that existence to top their business categories. But according to Ian Davis, a former Managing Director of McKinsey, a tech firm that survives for as long as 15 years has in a business sense, lasted as long as a consumer-product company that survives for 30. Longevity should be measured in innovation cycles and not years.

What has TECNO done in the last decade?

In the last 10 years, the TECNO brand has positioned itself as one of the leading smartphone makers in Africa. They have been able to increase their competitiveness and popularity amongst mobile device users through Market insights and strategic partnerships. They have partnered with organizations such as Facebook, Startimes, Qualcomm, Spinlet, MTN, Etisalat and Airtel in order to further deepen their product offerings.

Since the debut of its first mobile phone, TECNO T780, which was Africa’s first dual SIM phone, TECNO has not only captured a significant market but also grown steadily in the media. In 2015, TECNO revealed its international ambition when it won the International Quality Crown Award, Gold Category in London and in the same year also impressed in local markets, having being recognized as the Most Consumer-centric smartphone brand in Nigeria at the Nigeria Mobile Economy Summit and Expo (NIMES).

Interestingly, in Nigeria, the company has gone beyond releasing great products to impacting positively in the society. The company has sponsored charity football games, awarded scholarships to Public School pupils and lighting up host communities using solar powered streetlights.

With 10 years of remarkable achievements, TECNO still has to remain innovative and dynamic. This is because the African market has been experiencing an influx of smartphone brands, particularly mid-budget Asian and European mobiles, which were inspired by TECNO’s successes.