New Business Development Utilizing Inkjet Multi-Function Printers
Capital and Business Alliance with Dots for Inc. Aimed at Expanding Business in Africa
August 5, 2025
Brother Industries, Ltd.
Brother Industries, Ltd. (Head Office: Nagoya; President: Kazufumi Ikeda) today announced that it has entered into a capital and business alliance agreement with Dots for Inc. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Hiroya Oba), a Japan-based startup developing business in rural areas, particularly in Africa. By combining the expertise Brother has accumulated through the development of its printers and All-in-One machines with Dots for's local network, the two companies aim to further advance their initiatives and establish a foothold for business expansion in Africa.
Brother has long regarded Africa as an important market over the medium to long term and has been exploring ways to expand its printer and All-in-One business there. In 2024, in collaboration with Dots for Inc., which operates a unique business model in rural areas of Africa, Brother began test marketing of printing and copying services utilizing Brother inkjet multi-function printers within Dots for's village digital platform, d.CONNECT. In rural African villages, which have been left behind by the wave of digitalization, there are often no locations within the village to print or copy documents. Residents sometimes travel to towns tens of kilometers away, taking a full day to complete printing or copying. To address this, a "Village Printing Service" accessible via smartphone is being developed and rolled out through Dots for's digital platform, primarily targeting rural villages in Africa to help improve residents' quality of life.
Taking this capital and business alliance as an opportunity, Brother plans to exhibit with Dots for at the TICAD Business Expo and Conference (Japan Fair), a side event of the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) to be held in Yokohama from Wednesday, August 20, 2025. At the exhibition booth, initiatives to promote digitalization in rural areas will be presented, including the village digital platform d.CONNECT business model built with Brother. Actual equipment installed for the Village Printing Service, such as the inkjet multi-function printers, will also be on display.
Comment from Satoru Kuwabara, Representative Director and Executive Vice President (Head of P&S Business, Executive Officer), Brother Industries, Ltd.
Africa, while an enormous market in terms of potential, has long been considered a challenging region for business
entry. Moreover, we believed that it would be even more difficult to do business in rural areas where infrastructure
is limited. However, through this initiative made possible by the capital and business alliance with Dots for, we
feel confident that not only can we accelerate digitalization in rural Africa, but also seize the opportunity to
pioneer new business for Brother in Africa. We are delighted that this new service, which provides printing and
copying to many who previously had no access, will create opportunities to utilize our printers and All-in-One
machines, and we look forward to seeing this expand. We also feel this initiative can be a chance to change the
conventional norms in rural Africa.
Brother has pursued diverse business opportunities while also contributing to the realization of a sustainable
society. Looking ahead, we will aim to create new value and achieve sustainable growth in Africa, continuing to
globally advance management with an emphasis on sustainability.
Comment from Carlos Oba, Founder, CEO and CIO, Dots for Inc.
In African rural villages, while issues such as water and electricity are recognized globally and addressed by many organizations, the issue of "not being able to print or copy in the village" has been a significant burden for residents yet has gone largely unnoticed by the world. This capital and business alliance with Brother Industries marks a major first step in solving this burden and strongly advancing our initiative of "Unleashing the constraints of the rural Africa," which we believe will be a great opportunity to change the world of rural residents.
Brother’s SDGs special website
About Dots for Inc.
| Company name | Dots for Inc. |
|---|---|
| Representative | Hiroya Oba |
| Established | October 2021 |
| Business | Operation of d.CONNECT, a digital platform for African rural villages |
| Company website | https://dotsfor.com (the link to the site of "Dots for Inc.") |
