Microsoft and Huawei to Unite to Sell Windows Smartphones in Africa - NYTimes.com

I'm guessing Apple is also not oblivious to this market opportunity, and that the rumored lower-cost iPhone will not be sold exclusively in China

"Africa is the world’s fastest-growing region for smartphones, with an average sales growth of 43 percent a year since 2000, according to the GSM Association, an industry trade group based in London.
In sub-Saharan Africa alone, 10 percent of the 445 million cellphone users have smartphones, but that is expected to increase rapidly as operators expand high-speed networks.
By 2017, most consumers in South Africa will be using smartphones, up from 20 percent last year, according to the GSM Association. In Nigeria, the continent’s most populous country, the outlook for sustained growth is even greater, with smartphone penetration projected to reach just 30 percent by 2017."

Microsoft and Huawei to Unite to Sell Windows Smartphones in Africa - NYTimes.com