First Ever Made In Africa Smartphones Manufacturing Plant Launched In Rwanda By Prez. Kagame

Rwandan President, Mr. Paul Kagame has launched a smartphone manufacturing plant, the first of its kind in the African continent.

The factory launched is called Mara Phones Production Plant and it was launched on Monday, October 7, at the Kigali special economic zone in Gasabo district.

Addressing the media and everyone gathered, Mr. Kagame said;

“The Mara phone joins a growing list of high-quality products that are made in our country. Producing smartphones is not a simple matter. Around 1,000 individual components are involved as we have been taken through the whole process.

The plant is, therefore, a complex manufacturing operation requiring significant technical skill and expertise and is another milestone on our journey to high-tech made in Rwanda industry.”

Per what we gathered, the introduction of the Mara Phones would put smartphone ownership within the reach of more Rwandans in a country where internet coverage stands at 52.1% up from 7% in 2011.

Rwanda’s ministry of information and technology states that the number of phone owners grew from 33% in 2010 to the current 80.6%.

“The smartphone is no longer a luxury item. It is rapidly becoming a requirement of everyday life. That trend is bound to increase in the years to come, as more and more services migrate to digital platforms,” Kagame said.

The plant has so far employed 200 people with 90% of them being Rwandans.

This phone was made in my country! Congratulations @MaraPhones and thank you for choosing Rwanda as your first home on the continent. Made in Rwanda is growing in breadth and depth, thanks to a conducive business environment and deliberate policy to add value to our products. pic.twitter.com/8EGSuDN0X7

— Clare Akamanzi (@cakamanzi) October 7, 2019