O Rwanda launched two smartphones this Monday, through the company Mara Group and which are being considered as the first models “Made in Africa“, Which aim to boost the country's ambitions to become a regional technology center.
These are smartphones "Mara X and the Mara Z”With operating system Android. The models aim to compete in the local market with Tecno and Samsung. Located in the special economic zone of Kigali, the factory employs more than 200 people.
Ashish Thakkar, the CEO of the Mara Group, says the intention is to reach customers who don't mind paying a little more for quality. «We are the first to produce completely in Africa (…) We produce motherboards, we are making sub-boards throughout the process. There are over a thousand pieces over the phone ». To make these devices a reality, an investment of 24 million dollars was made in a factory that can produce up to 1200 phones per day.
The Mara Group also intends to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, an agreement between 55 nations outlined to boost sales in Africa, unite 1,3 billion and create an economic bloc of 3,4 billion.
