This company claims it’s releasing the first phone to be fully made in Africa

Mara Group, a pan-African company that works in technology and finance sectors, has claimed to launch the first fully ‘Made in Africa’ phones in Rwanda. As per a report by CNN, the company opened a new manufacturing facility in the country’s capital, Kigali, earlier this week. 

The company said it’s not just assembling phones in Africa, but also handling the entire manufacturing process from making motherboards to packing in the new factory.

The Mara X and the Mara Z are Android-based mid-ranged phones priced 175,750 Rwandan francs ($190) and 120,250 Rwandan francs ($130) respectively. Comparatively, there are plenty of sub-$100 phones from Samsung, Techno, and Huawei available in the country.

Check out the highlights from the Mara Phones Rwanda factory launch!@MaraPhones #MadeinRwanda #MadeInAfrica #Africa #Rwanda #technology pic.twitter.com/0LzbpXhpVF

— Mara Phones (@MaraPhones) October 8, 2019

Ashish Thakkar, CEO of Mara Group, said the company is targeting premium customers as of now to offer quality products. He added the manufacturing facility can currently produce 10,000 units per day. 

The CEO told Reuters while plants in Egypt, South Africa, and Algeria, import components for assembly, Mara’s factory is the first one to use locally made components such as motherboards and sub-boards.

Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame said initiatives such as this can increase the country’s phone usage, which is currently around 15 percent. 

You can check out the products here.