The Mara Group has launched the first Made-in-Africa smartphone factory in Rwanda.
The launch was made in a bid to establish a brand of African-made smartphones.
The factory has employed over 200 people and expects to produce over 2 million smartphones over the span of the year
Mara Group founder, Ashish J. Thakkar, said that his company plans to manufacture high-quality smartphones at an affordable price while expanding smartphone adoption in Africa.
Related article: Africa Tech Summit’s 3rd edition to take place in Rwanda in February 2020
The Mara Phone factory will begin operations with manufacturing of its Mara X and Mara Z phone models.
According to Forbes, Smartphone penetration in Rwanda currently stands at around 15% with the most basic Tecno and Samsung models sold at $40 and $70 respectively.
The brand is hoping to poke holes in the Samsung and Tecno’s market share.
The company has partnered with local banks and telecommunications firms, that will enable users to pay for their phones over a period of two years.
The factory is located in Kigali’s special economic zone.
The Mara Group will launch another of their phone factories in South Africa on the 17th of October.
