First ‘made in Africa’ smartphone challenges China’s dominance in local market

A Rwanda-based smartphone manufacturing company is hoping to win over customers with its Mara Phone, the first device made entirely in Africa. The company is marketing its phone as a higher-quality alternative to Chinese models which have a strong grip on the continent’s mobile phone market. Mara’s main competitor is Tecno, a subsidiary of Transsion from Shenzhen, China, which controls more than 50 per cent of the African smartphone market. Mara Phones is part of Mara Corporation headquartered…