Mara milestone: first ‘Made in Africa’ smartphones launched
- The Mara X and Mara Z will use Google’s Android operating system and cost US$190 and US$130 respectively
Rwanda’s Mara Group launched two smartphones on Monday, describing them as the first “Made in Africa” models and giving a boost to the country’s ambitions to become a regional technology hub.
The Mara X and Mara Z will use Google’s Android operating system and cost 175,750 Rwandan francs (US$190) and 120,250 Rwandan francs (US$130) respectively.
They will compete with Samsung, whose cheapest smartphone costs 50,000 Rwandan francs (US$54), and non-branded phones at 35,000 Rwandan francs (US$37). Mara Group CEO Ashish Thakkar said it was targeting customers willing to pay more for quality.
“This is the first smartphone manufacturer in Africa,” Thakkar said after touring the company alongside Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame.
Companies assemble smartphones in Egypt, Ethiopia, Algeria and South Africa, but import the components, he said.
“We are actually the first who are doing manufacturing. We are making the motherboards, we are making the subboards during the entire process,” he said. “There are over 1,000 pieces per phone.”