Rwanda Opens the First Smartphone Factory in Africa
Rwanda Opens the First Smartphone Factory in Africa
The first made-in-Africa smartphone factory has been launched in Rwanda by the Mara Group, a move that is aimed at establishing a brand of African-made smartphones
The factory, located in Kigali’s special economic zone, has the capacity to manufacture more than 1,200 smartphones per day while employing over 200 people. Speaking at the launch ceremony, Ashish J. Thakkar, owner of the Mara Group, said the company aims to manufacture high-quality smartphones at an affordable price while improving smartphone growth in Africa.
Mara Phones’ new factory will manufacture two android phone models, the Mara X and Mara Z, retailing at $159 (KSh16,000) and, $229 (KSh23,000) respectively
The company aims to penetrate the Samsung and Tecno dominated market. Mara Group has partnered with local banks and telecommunications firms, that will enable 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.
