STAM 2026: Abidjan wants to produce its own smartphones

The 3rd edition of the African Mobile Phones and Applications Exhibition (STAM) will be held on July 8 and 9, 2026 at the Sofitel Hôtel Ivoire in Abidjan. Officially launched on May 13 at the Maison de l'Entreprise in Abidjan-Plateau, the event is hosted by Kodioro Fofana, general commissioner of the show. This edition will take place under the theme “Africa, a mobile innovation laboratory: challenges and perspectives” and will bring together startups, academics, entrepreneurs and institutional partners. Highlight of this edition, the ambitious project to set up a smartphone manufacturing factory at VITIB in Grand-Bassam, symbol of a stated desire to make Côte d'Ivoire a producer, and no longer just a consumer of mobile technologies. The country already has a mobile phone penetration rate exceeding 181% in 2024.