Ugandan Ashish Thakkar starts making smartphones for African countries. After having loved and adopted smart phones from Asia, Europe and others, Africa is also planning to present its range of good quality and cheap.
Two smartphones called Mara X and Mara Z will enter the market by the second quarter of 2018, probably from next April. They will be « cheap, of good quality and very efficient » and designed to meet African needs.
These two phones will offer cream of creams of all that exists as the latest news from Google. The YouTube Go and Facebook Lite apps are sure to please these devices.
« At the moment, Africans have to choose between a quality phone and a phone they can afford. However, with access to the internet and some practical applications, a smartphone can create jobs and enable innovation. Beyond the creation and consumption of content, a smartphone can increase the GDP of sub-Saharan Africa, « said Ashish Thakkar.
The entrepreneur continues by giving the example of the dazzling success of mobile money. « Take a look at the adoption of mobile money in Africa and imagine the opportunity for this continent to progress through the use of mobile technology, » he added.
According to the World Association of Mobile Operators (GSMA) in its report « The Mobile Economy in Sub-Saharan Africa », said that mobile phones have generated an income of 110 billion in 2016, about 7.7 per cent of the subregion’s GDP.
Photo by Venture Africa
