Africa’s first smartphone factory opens its doors in Kigali as the Mara phone aims to become a leading brand across the continent.
Mara Phone, a smartphone by the pan-African conglomerate Mara Group, has opened its first factory in Rwanda as the company hopes to pioneer a brand of African-made smartphones.
Located in Kigali’s special economic zone, the factory employees over 200 people to manufacture high-tech smartphones for the local market and further afield.
With two models on sale for $159 and $229, the Android phones are hoping to compete with Asian manufacturers like Techno and Samsung who currently dominate Africa’s markets.
Speaking at the launch, CEO Ashish Thakkar, said: “We realized a few years ago that to create positive social impact on our continent and in emerging markets we need to have high quality and affordable smartphones. That’s when we came up with Mara Phones.”
Smartphone penetration in Rwanda currently stands at around 15% with the most basic Techno and Samsung models sold at $40 and $70 respectively.
The bulk of the market is characterized by feature phones which use USSD technology to access digital services; a general trend across the continent
Opening the ceremony, Rwandan President Paul Kagame commended the drive towards affordable smartphones and underlined the need to boost the adoption of high-tech products in his country.
The Mara Group have created a finance model which allows users to pay for their phones over a period of two years.
“The smartphone is no longer a luxury item, it is rapidly becoming a requirement of everyday life,” he said.
“That trend is bound to increase in the years to come as more and more services migrate to digital platforms. We want to enable many more Rwandans to use smartphones. The cost and quality is very important and the introduction of Mara Phones will put smartphone ownership within reach of more Rwandans.”
“The smartphone is no longer a luxury item, it is rapidly becoming a requirement of everyday life,” he said.
In 2015, the group acquired a majority share in the Banque Populaire du Rwanda and has created a finance model which allows users to pay for their phones over a period of two years.
The Mara Group are set to launch their next Mara Phone factory in South Africa on the 17th of October.
