Tech in Africa
The Mara group took the spotlight in October 2019 in African telephony by launching their first smartphone manufacturing plant in Kigali. Their mission was aimed at capturing the East African market. A few months later, Ashish Thakkar, Mara group founder, opened another factory in South Africa. Thus far no industrial projects have materialized in West Africa but a strong intention to sell smartphones across Africa.
It’s worth noting that several countries such as Egypt, Algeria, and Ethiopia assemble smartphones, however, most components originate from other continents. In Kigali, Mara manufactures the memory cards and motherboards but relies on imported screens, chips, and batteries.
The brand has a strong “Made in Africa” ring to it and intends to leverage this fact. Low-cost Chinese players pose the biggest competition so it’s in their interest to stand out in the market.
Mara group is planning to release new phone models the Mara S and the Z1.
