True to expectation, efforts by the Rwandan government to jumpstart human capacity development and technological advancement took an upward turn yesterday as President Paul Kagame unveils a Smartphone factory that gives Rwanda the birthplace of Africa’s first indigenous mobile phone company. Mara Phones, a subsidiary of the Mara Group owned by businessman Ashish J. Thakkar, built a high tech smartphone manufacturing facility in Kigali’s Special Economic Zone, Rwanda with the capacity to produce about two million smartphones annually.
Speaking on the need for Africans to be digitally empowered as the 4th Industrial Revolution beckons, President Paul Kagame said that a smartphone is no longer a luxury item; it is rapidly becoming a requirement of everyday life. President Kagame noted that the trend is bound to increase in the years to come as more and more services migrate to digital platforms. “We want to enable many more Rwandans to use smartphones. The cost and quality is very important and the introduction of Mara Phones will put smartphone ownership within reach of more Rwandans.”
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Describing the development as a dream come true, the founder of Mara Group Ashish Thakkar said that the company aims to manufacture very high quality smartphones at an affordable price while improving smartphone growth in Africa. He noted that to create a positive social impact on the continent and in emerging markets there is this need to have high quality and affordable smartphones, thus the reason behind the Mara Phones.
Figures from the Rwandan statistics office show that smartphone penetration in Rwanda currently stands at around 15% with the most basic Tecno and Samsung models sold at $40 and $70 respectively. Mara Phones’ new factory will start manufacturing two phone models, the Mara X and Mara Z. Thakkar says both phones will be retailed for less than $200 and among other things will have a longer-lasting battery than other smartphones, greater storage space and a 2-year Android version update courtesy of a partnership with Google. Mara Phones also has partnered with local banks and telecommunications firms to create a finance model which will allows users to pay for their phones over a two-year period.
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This need for a longer lasting battery was informed by Africa’s electricity challenge, thus a full charge will last as long as two to three days depending on usage, officials say. Moreso, the phone will be more rugged to withstand both climate and environmental challenges.
Clearing the air on doubts over the Phone, Mara Group says the new facility is Africa’s first high tech smartphone factory. “What we have around Africa are basically mobile phone assembling plants. What we have built is Africa’s first smartphone manufacturing plant,” Thakkar was quoted as saying. The factory already employs 200 people with women representing 60% of the workforce. Launching the factory, Rwandan President Paul Kagame commended Mara Group’s entry into the affordable smartphone market and underlined the need to boost the adoption of high-tech products in the East African country. Mara Phones will be launching its second factory in South Africa later this month.
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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.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry.