Official Launch of Village Printing Service for Rural Areas in Africa

Brother Industries, Ltd. (Head Office: Nagoya; President: Kazufumi Ikeda) today announced that it has officially launched the digital platform Village Printing Service for rural communities in Africa. In July of this year, Brother and Dots for, Inc. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Hiroya Oba) concluded a capital and business alliance agreement, and this initiative combines the expertise Brother has accumulated through the development of its printers and All-in-One machines with Dots for's local network to further advance their initiatives and establish a foothold for business expansion in Africa.

The Village Printing Service is one of the services offered within d.CONNECT, a digital platform developed by Dots for for rural areas in Africa, which enables residents to print and copy documents using their smartphones. Until now, Brother has been conducting test marketing of printing and copying business in Benin, in collaboration with Dots for and utilizing Brother inkjet multi-function printers. Beginning in October, the Village Printing Service will be officially launched as the functionality is integrated into the user interface of d.CONNECT. Test marketing has also started in Senegal at the end of September.

By creating an environment in which residents of small villages in Africa can print and copy documents with ease, the initiative is expected not only to improve convenience in daily life, but also to expand educational opportunities and stimulate local economies. Additionally, the ability to easily print photos taken with smartphones has led to people displaying family photos at home, and the service has been well-received from the perspective of well-being in rural areas.

With the official launch of this service, Brother aims to expand the deployment of the Village Printing Service to rural areas across Africa. Looking ahead, the company will work to bridge the information gap between rural and urban areas while fostering the growth of the service as a sustainable business.