Made in Rwanda, Mara Phones is Africa’s first fully made smartphone

The mobile revolution has reshaped our day-to-day lives, providing instantaneous, on-the-go access to information and communication channels. However, significant divides persist in some countries where average and high-earners are more likely to own smartphones than the low-earners.

To enhance and enrich underserved populations in Africa and beyond, Rwandan-based Mara Phones produces high-quality, affordable smartphones designed to promote digital inclusion. Mara Phones is a subsidiary of Mara Group, a dynamic African group with operations in the banking, technology, real estate and infrastructure fields founded in 1996 by Ashish Thakkar.

Ashish says the biggest motivation behind the manufacture of Mara Phones was the belief that the manufacture of quality, affordable smartphones was the real way to create a massive positive social impact and promote financial inclusion on the continent.

Another amazing fact about Mara Phones is that the workforce at their factories consists of over 90% of youths who are trained engineers, and over 60% are women, which is probably the highest gender ratio globally.

Ashish believes that for Mara Phones, the sky is the starting point and is optimistic that Mara Phones will someday be the best player on the continent and beyond.