Any owner of an Apple device can attest to how tedious it can be to get the gadget repaired. Service from an Apple Store or a big third-party firm can be quite expensive and getting a repair store in a country with limited choices becomes even harder. Luckily, Apple is looking to change that.

The tech giant announced that it will be expanding its Independent Repair Provider program to “nearly every country where Apple products are sold.”

Currently, the repair program is only available in the U.S., Canada and Europe. That will all change this week when Apple expands the service to counties like Australia, Japan and Korea. According to Apple, the program will then extend to many more countries across the world including Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania later this year.

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To join the program, providers will have to apply with the iPhone-maker. Once approved, they will be able to buy a limited variety of first-party material like batteries, screens and diagnostic tools.

This means that there will be issues that your local repair guy will still find hard to fix and will have to refer to other bigger authorised service providers. But it will still be fun to see local repair personnel directly connected to the manufacturer of the product.

Additionally, joining the program involves a contract that reportedly gives Apple the right to both inspect repair shops and even fine them if something is suspicious. Apple also has the right to charge up to KES 100,000 per transaction for any shop that is caught using counterfeit parts.

So as much as everyone will apply to be part of the program, it’s clear that very few will be approved for the contract.