Made in Senegal: the Sangalkam firm building the country's own computers
Sunu Corp has assembled computers near Dakar since 2023, can turn out 7,500 a year and has trained almost 400 young people for free. Government testers found its machines cheaper than imports.
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Sangalkam — A company on the edge of Dakar is making a quiet case that Senegal can build its own computers. Sunu Corp, based at Keur Ndiaye Lô in the commune of Sangalkam, has been assembling computers locally since 2023, the Dakar daily Le Quotidien reports.
Its machines are already on sale under names that nod to African history and Senegalese culture: the Bakari 2, the Bamba One and the Sankara Byos, among others. Laptops, smartphones and smart TVs are next on its list.
What it can make
- The assembly site in Sangalkam can produce up to 7,500 computers a year, and more when the company's other sites in schools and institutes are counted.
- Sunu Corp has trained nearly 400 students and young people from engineering schools and training centres, free of charge.
Tested by the state
Officials from Senegal's Ministry of Telecommunications and Digital Affairs tested Sunu Corp computers for more than six months with teams from Sénégal Digital Factory. They found the machines performed well and cost clearly less than imported equipment.
The company's founder and president, Abdourahmane Gaye, says government buyers come first: the ministries of the interior, the armed forces and foreign affairs, and the presidency. Buying from a local maker, he argues, gives the state a first layer of security, full control of its hardware and a way to apply national preference. His wider aim is a national brand that can compete with imported ones and an industrial manufacturing base around it.
Why it matters
Boubacar Roger Thiam, the ministry's director of digital economy and partnerships, set out the gap Sunu Corp hopes to fill. Senegal has 4G coverage across 97% of the country, he said, yet 54% of the people covered do not have a suitable device, because imported phones and equipment are so expensive. The state plans to support local manufacturers like Sunu Corp to meet that demand and create jobs for young people. A ministry team visited the Sangalkam site and praised the initiative.
Source: Le Quotidien, reporting by Alioune Badara Ndiaye, 17 October 2026.
