Orange Corners South Africa (OC) and AstraZeneca (AstraZeneca.com) South Africa have announced a new agreement to support Orange Corners’ initiative in South Africa, which focuses on establishing a conducive environment for young entrepreneurs.
“This partnership with Orange Corners South Africa is integral to our unwavering commitment to create sustainable impact in Africa. We want to ensure that young entrepreneurs in South Africa have a supportive platform and inclusive opportunities, with access to a network of expertise and experience, helping them to develop their innovative ideas into thriving businesses. We recognise that making a meaningful difference in the communities in which we work and live, requires strong collaboration and partnering with like-minded organisations such as Orange Corners, who are equally committed to making change happen. We are looking forward to working together to accelerate African entrepreneurial capacity,” Barbara Nel, Country President African Cluster (SA, SSA, FSA) at AstraZeneca, said.
Here Is What You Need To Know
- The Orange Corners (OC) program is a joint project of the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Dutch businesses. OC works with firms including Vopak, Heineken, and Philips in South Africa.
- OC works with young entrepreneurs to help them convert their unique ideas and start-ups into successful businesses. Orange Corners is dedicated to assisting in the creation of jobs and inclusive economic growth.
- Through one-on-one business development coaching, the program provides tailored support to both grassroots and more advanced entrepreneurs, with the goal of closing gaps in their specific business growth objectives as laid out at the start of the OC journey. Training, masterclasses, market access, and, to a lesser extent, working cash demands are all part of the coaching package.
- Orange Corners is very pleased to welcome AstraZeneca as a private partner in South Africa. As part of the collaboration, AstraZeneca will provide funding to the programme through its Young Health Programme (YHP), a holistic and integrated community investment programme focused on connecting adolescents to health and wellbeing. AstraZeneca will also participate in OC’s mentorship programme, offering support for young entrepreneurs.
“Entrepreneurship plays a key role in solving social economic challenges. We are committed to making a positive contribution to South Africa by creating an enabling environment for entrepreneurs — a key element of which is to link startups to companies and knowledge institutes. This is not possible without partnerships, so we are excited about the collaboration with AstraZeneca. It will allow Orange Corners to assist more entrepreneurs, create more jobs and most importantly, make a tangible difference in the day-to-day lives of individuals,” Han Peters, the Dutch ambassador to South Africa, said.
Orange Corners
The Netherlands Enterprise Agency manages Orange Corners at the request of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Each Orange Corner is organized by the Dutch Embassy in the area, in collaboration with local partners. Orange Corners strives to improve youth employment prospects by creating ecosystems for youthful business and employment. The target audience is young people in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa between the ages of 18 and 35.
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The Dutch Embassy in Pretoria launched Orange Corners South Africa, with support from implementing partner Signature Support.
AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in three therapeutic areas: oncology, cardiology, renal and metabolic diseases, and respiratory and immune diseases. AstraZeneca, based in Cambridge, UK, is a multinational pharmaceutical company with operations in over 100 countries and millions of patients worldwide. Please visit AstraZeneca.com and LinkedIn https://bit.ly/3fTmnV4 to learn more about the company.
Charles Rapulu Udoh
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer