This archive report was first published on 8 October 2019.
Rwanda's President Kagame Launches Smartphone Factory ¶
On October 7, 2019, Rwandan President Paul Kagame launched a smartphone manufacturing plant, the first of its kind in the African continent, in Kigali, Rwanda.
The factory, Mara Phones Production Plant, is part of the broader 'Made in Rwanda Initiative', which aims to promote local manufacturing and reduce reliance on imports.
According to Kagame, the project is a significant milestone in Rwanda's journey to becoming a high-tech industry hub.
"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," Kagame said.
At full capacity, the plant is expected to have a workforce of 650 people, with 90% of them being Rwandans.
The introduction of 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.
According to Rwanda's ministry of information and technology, the number of phone owners grew from 33% in 2010 to the current 80.6%.
