The Multilingual Smart Phone – Made in Africa

An entrepreneur in Cote d’Ivoire has created the country’s first locally made smartphone, which aims to improve accessibility with voice commands in local languages for users who cannot read and write. The phone, called “Open G”, went on sale last month in the West African country. It understands commands and responds in 16 of Ivory Coast’s approximately 60 spoken languages, including Dioula, Senoufo, and Bété. Founder Alain Capo-Chichi said he wanted to create the phone to help people like his parents, who are illiterate, to use features like transferring money and sending messages.