Few days ago, African technologies got to a new development level. The Mara group, a tech hub in Africa, set up a smartphone factory in Rwanda. The first "Made In Africa" smartphones. I lauded this great tech achievement, just like any other average African man with no sentiments.

The Mara X and Mara Z smartphones cost $190 and $130 respectively. It uses the Google Android OS. The Mara X price is equivalent to that of HTC 10 and Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 phones. With the cheapest Mara phone valued at $130 compared to that of the most affordable Tecno phone in African markets at $70, sales would be very low. Though, companies in Egypt, Algeria and South Africa import phone parts and assemble them. Having a setup to manufacture one is awesome, just like the Rwandan experience. Aside from creating employment opportunities, it will also improve the nation's GDP rate.

According to the CEO of Mara group, Ashish Thakkar, the manufacturing plant costs $50 million. Even at that, a normal sales strategy for new startups is to offer their products at low prices, so as to have a cool brand presence within the markets. Hence, the tactical approach of the Mara phones seem off the hook. In Rwanda, despite the presence of mobile phone giants like Samsung and Tecno brands, whose costs are fairly lower than the indigenous Mara phones, her market breakthrough seems difficult. But for now, let it remain within the country, and not continental. With time, it will grow over it.

As the percentage of smartphone users in Rwanda standing at a staggering 15% low, for a startup company that produces about 10 000 phones daily and wants to increase the number of smartphone users, there are more ocean tides to scale over.

Rwanda is the face of the African continent at the moment. The only idea Buhari can generate is to send soldiers for Python dance IV