New reports indicate that a smartphone factory will be officially launched in South Africa this Thursday. This development comes a year after Mara CEO Ashish Thakkar announced that he will open a smartphone factory in South Africa.
Hardly a week ago, Mara Group unveiled first ‘Made in Africa’ smartphones in Rwanda: Mara X and the pricier Mara Z.
While many companies assemble parts in African countries, they import the components from outside the continent. “We are actually the first who are doing manufacturing. We are making the motherboards, we are making the sub-boards during the entire process,” Thakkar noted earlier.
The official opening of the new factory which will be based in Dube Trade Port in Durban is going to be presided over by South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa is a firm believer that technology and innovation can be leveraged to solve South Africa’s problems as well as bring development. It is the reason he has continuously pushed South Africa, not just as an adopter but as a leader of the new technological revolution.
Teleco company MTN has welcomed the idea of locally-made smartphones adding that “We are in the process of approving them as a potential supplier.”
Given the current developments, it is evident that Africa is developing to be a tech hub. The continent’s tech sector continues to experience significant growth and it is no doubt that it is expanding at a rapid pace. Tech startups remain one of the most funded startups across the continent.
Notably, the development of tech hubs across Africa has had a ripple effect since it has boosted tech innovations which have in turn expanded job opportunities.
A ‘tech hub’ is a physical space developed to help technology startup companies grow and succeed to become the next tech titan like the likes of Facebook. These tech hubs also offer well-established collaborations and investment networks.
