First Africa Smartphone factory Now open in Rwanda

As China has Huawei, Xiaomi; U.S has the iPhone; and, finally, Africa has Maraphone. Mara Corporation, making Rwanda the first country on the young continent of Africa to locally manufacture full scale phones. This project will show the potential and ability that Africa can produce high quality and affordable smartphones in Africa, by Africans, for Africans and for the rest of the world. Before this development Africa have few that are been assembled on the continent but nothing is truly being manufactured in Africa.

Mara is not the first company to claim to have produced the first African made smartphone but included imported parts. Before now, Rwandan government has collaborated with telecommunication companies to seek ways of reducing prices on internet use, which will boost ICT penetration and digital services. The east African country, once again, is at the very forefront of Africa’s digital revolution.

On Monday, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda officiated the Africa’s first high tech smartphone factory in the country’s capital Kigali. President Kagame hailed the launch as another breakthrough for development in Rwanda, which has enjoyed rapid economic growth in recent years and gained a reputation as a hub of innovation.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame at an event in Bonn, Germany, on October 5, 2019. He officiated the launch of Mara Phones manufacturing plant on October 7, 2019. PHOTO | URUGWIRO

“The Mara Phone joins a growing list of high-quality products that are made in our country,” the president said at the Mara Phones Factory which is situated on the outskirts of Kigali.

“The Mara Group, a pan-African business headquartered in Dubai, says the will deliver “high quality smartphones at an affordable price.”

The company is supporting development in Rwanda, noting that 90% of the 200 factory employees are Rwandans and 60% are women.

The first made in Rwanda phones rolled off the assembly line last week, the presidency said, through a partnership with Mara Group.

The Mara Phone joins a growing list of high-quality products that are made in our country. It is another milestone on our journey to high-tech, made-in-Rwanda industry, President Kagame said.

In a series of tweets from the presidency, Kagame was quoted saying: The introduction of Mara Phones will put smartphone ownership within reach of more Rwandans.

Mara is producing two types of smartphone in Rwanda: The Mara X with 16GB storage space will retail for 120,250 francs ($130), while the more advanced Mara Z model with 32GB storage is on sale for around 175,750 francs ($190). Both phones include features such as high-spec cameras and voice activation mode. The smartphones will be among the first devices to run Android Oreo, an OS optimized for apps like YouTube Go, Facebook Lite and Twitter Lite that are made for the African market.The devices are now available via Mara’s website and stores in Kigali.

Rwanda’s ICT Minister Paula Ingabire hopes the plant can play a role in creating jobs and developing skills.

The number of employees is projected to rise from around 200 to more than 500 by its fifth year of operation. The minister also expects domestic production to increase smartphone penetration by “at least 10%,” which will improve access to services and “drive financial inclusion in rural communities through mobile financial services.”

Ingabire adds that the Mara plant will complement the government’s ambitious. Digital Ambassadors Program, which aims to achieve 100% digital literacy among youths aged 16-30 and for 60% of the adult population by 2024.

Mara Phones, a subsidiary company of the Mara Group owned by businessman Ashish J. Thakkar, has built a high tech smartphone manufacturing facility in Kigali’s Special Economic Zone, Rwanda.

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. Thats when we came up with Mara Phones, Ashish Thakkar said during the launch.

Mara Group says the new facility is Africa’s first high tech smartphone factory. The factory already employs 200 people with women representing 60% of the workforce.

What we have around Africa are basically mobile phone assembling plants. What we have built is Africa’s first smartphone manufacturing plant, Thakkar said during the launch.

Ashish Thakkar, 38, is the founder of Mara Group, a Dubai-based, African-focused conglomerate with interests in the technology, financial services, manufacturing, real estate & agriculture industries.