Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai paid a visit to Nigeria a couple of days ago and he had an array of gifts for Naira-land.
Among his announcements, he said that Google would launch a digital skills training program that would target 100,000 software developers in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. It was also announced that Google would cash out $3 million to mentor developers and African startup founders.
Read More: Digital Skills Training and Support for African Startups Emphasized at The Google For Nigeria Event
An announcement that might have flown under the radar is that Google plans to launch the Freetel Ice 2 smartphone in Nigeria at an unbelievable price of $40 (Ksh.4,000).
“Yes, Google is set to launch an Android device in September. One cool thing about this device is the price. The Ice 2 would be sold at $40 when it is launched,” said Sundar Pichai. He also revealed that the device would pack the latest security features from Google, including Google Play Protect.
The Freetel Ice 2 packs a 5.5-inch 720p display covered with a 2.5D curved glass, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage with Micro SD expansion of up to 32GB, 5MP main camera paired with a 2MP selfie shooter, runs on a MediaTek MT6580 processor and is juiced by a 2800mAh battery. The highlight of the device is that it runs stock Android, with updates directly from Google.
Google said that the Ice 2 would go on sale in September and would be available through MTN Nigeria.
Weirdly, Google is not marketing the Ice 2 as an “Android One” device, reason? No one seems to know.
I am not entirely sure if we will see this device in other African markets outside Nigeria but my hope is that Google will consider a Kenyan launch as well.
