ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Wednesday laid the foundation for the second phase of an electronics factory in Erbil, the first in the Region to produce mobile phones and smart tablets, highlighting its importance for the economic sector and providing job opportunities.

“This sort of industrial work that has started in Kurdistan is a part of the ongoing Kurdistan Regional Government’s [KRG] efforts to diversify the Region’s economy,” the premier said in a speech.

Barzani added that the Region has placed significant focus on expanding the economic sector, as it can “provide the largest number of job opportunities for the youth,” adding that the factory has employed more than 100 young locals, with the number is expected to rise to 400.

 “What I saw today made me glad because the majority of the workers on the machines were local,” mostly skilled “local youth,” he noted.

Bargasht Akreyi, spokesperson for the KRG’s Investment Board, told The New Region that the initiative is led by “local investors and workers in partnership with a Chinese company” in a way that is “unmatched in Iraq and the Region.”

In his opening speech, the Chinese Consul Liu Jun stated that there has been “a lot of progress in the field of technology and innovation in the Kurdistan Region” in recent years, dubbing the Region “a promising place for foreign investment.”

“But we always need the expertise and knowledge of our [partner countries] outside to help us integrate new knowledge into the Kurdistan region so we can benefit from their experience,” the premier asserted.

The Golden Technology 2 factory, under development for a year, is the first undertaking in the Region to produce electronics, with the capacity to produce more than 100,000 mobile phones and smart tablets monthly.