Rwanda is getting nearer to its ambitions to become a regional technology hub. Mara Group launched this week two smartphones describing them as the first “Made in Africa” models. The phones called Mara X and Mara Z will use Google’s Android operating system and will cost175,750 Rwandan francs ($190) and 120,250 Rwandan francs ($130) respectively.
The Mara phones are targeting higher strata of customers who are willing to shell out more money compared to other cheaper models in the Rwandan market. These include Samsung, whose cheapest smartphone costs 50,000 Rwandan francs ($54), and non-branded phones at 35,000 Rwandan francs ($37). “This is the first smartphone manufacturer in Africa, ’Ashish Thakkar, the chairman of Mara Group said. He added that many companies assemble smartphones in Egypt, Ethiopia, Algeria and South Africa, but import the components. On the other hand, Mara Phones he added are actually the first to manufacture the motherboards, the sub-boards etc.
The plant set up at a cost of $24 million and could manufacture 1,200 phones per day. The group hopes to profit from the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, seamlessly bringing together the 55-nation trade bloc, to boost sales across Africa. President Kagame said he hoped the phone would increase Rwanda’s smartphone usage, which stood at 15%.
