diff --git a/kiwixbuild/dependencies/libkiwix.py b/kiwixbuild/dependencies/libkiwix.py
index 22c15d6..169e83f 100644
--- a/kiwixbuild/dependencies/libkiwix.py
+++ b/kiwixbuild/dependencies/libkiwix.py
@@ -19,6 +19,12 @@ class Libkiwix(Dependency):
         dependencies = ["pugixml", "libzim", "zlib", "lzma", "libcurl", "libmicrohttpd", "icu4c", "mustache", "xapian-core"]
         strip_option = ''
 
+        @property
+        def build_type(self):
+            if self.buildEnv.platformInfo.build == "android":
+                return "debug"
+            return super().build_type
+
         @property
         def configure_option(self):
             platformInfo = self.buildEnv.platformInfo
diff --git a/kiwixbuild/dependencies/libzim.py b/kiwixbuild/dependencies/libzim.py
index a79cb76..b1d92a3 100644
--- a/kiwixbuild/dependencies/libzim.py
+++ b/kiwixbuild/dependencies/libzim.py
@@ -16,6 +16,12 @@ class Libzim(Dependency):
         test_option = "-t 8"
         strip_option = ''
 
+        @property
+        def build_type(self):
+            if self.buildEnv.platformInfo.build == "android":
+                return "debug"
+            return super().build_type
+
         @classmethod
         def get_dependencies(cls, platformInfo, allDeps):
             deps = ['lzma', 'zstd', 'xapian-core', 'icu4c']