Rwanda' Mara Group has launched two smartphones, describing them as the first "Made in Africa" models, Reuters reported. They will run on Android and the Mara X will cost RWF 175,750 and the Mara Z, RWF 120,250. They will compete with Samsung, whose cheapest smartphone costs RWF 50,000 and non-branded phones at RWF 35,000.
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 told Reuters. Companies assemble smartphones in Egypt, Ethiopia, Algeria and South Africa, but import the components, he said.
Thakkar said the plant had cost USD 24 million and could make 1,200 phones per day. Mara Group hopes to profit from the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, a pact aimed at forming a 55-nation trade bloc, to boost sales across Africa, Thakkar said.
The agreement is due to begin trading in July 2020, aiming to unite 1.3 billion people and create a USD 3.4 trillion economic bloc. It is still in the very early stages and no timelines have been agreed for abolishing tariffs.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame said he hoped the phone would increase Rwanda’s smartphone usage, currently at around 15 percent.
