Hendrik Kasteel - Afrikan Heroes

Orange Morocco Launches A New Entrepreneurship Support Program For Startups

March 1, 2023

Morocco’s startup environment has long been characterised by a favourable dynamic. In order to create and maintain a favourable environment for start-up formation and development, a number of support structures are organised. They make form a crucial support system for the development of creative enterprise in Morocco. Orange Fab, a start-up accelerator and third division of Orange Digital Center Morocco, strives to educate young people about cutting-edge technologies and identify the most promising start-ups so that it may provide them with the necessary development and management assistance.

For this inaugural round, Orange Fab Morocco has established the AGV (High Speed Accelerator) acceleration programme for entrepreneurs in the FinTech (Paytech, Regtech, Cash management, Crowdfunding, Neobank, etc.) and BlockChain sectors (money transfers and payments, Internet of Things, digital identification, supply chain management.). The goal is to enable enterprises to form commercial collaborations with Orange Morocco as well as other big national or international organisations. These young enterprises will thus have to fulfil the demands of Orange Morocco’s business divisions and the partners chosen for this edition, as well as be a force of proposition for all sorts of innovations, whether technological, functional, or even disruptive.

Two key investment funds will assist Orange Fab Morocco’s initial marketing. These are Orange Ventures Africa, a subsidiary of Orange Ventures with a 50 million euro fund for African start-ups, and the Swiss Digital Assets Institute (SDAI), which has allocated 100 million euros to FinTech and BlockChain start-ups with the goal of empowering young entrepreneurs to adapt to digital assets and decentralised finance (DeFi).

In order for the selected start-ups to be competitive in the present economic environment, the two partners will provide financial and know-how support. In this occasion, six start-ups will be selected to participate in the Orange Fab acceleration programme for the year 2023.

PipPipYalah, Becare, Hsabati, Ta7alil.ma, Dealkhir, and Lmarchi are among them. Three start-ups (Becare, PipPipYalah, and Ta7alil.ma) have been selected to attend Viva Tech 2023, an annual event dedicated to technological innovation and start-ups that will be hosted in Paris in June of next year.

“As a citizen and dedicated operator, Orange Morocco is increasing its efforts to deliver crucial digital services tailored to everyone’s requirements. Moreover, Orange Morocco inked a deal with the government in 2022 to carry out a 5.7 billion dirham investment programme over the following three years,” said Hendrik Kasteel, CEO of Orange Morocco.

The Orange Company also provides financial assistance through its Orange Ventures investment fund, which oversees over 350 million euros in assets and aims to promote future global champions in innovation.

Orange Morocco startups Orange Morocco startups

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Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer, who has several years of experience working in Africa’s burgeoning tech startup industry. He has closed multi-million dollar deals bordering on venture capital, private equity, intellectual property (trademark, patent or design, etc.), mergers and acquisitions, in countries such as in the Delaware, New York, UK, Singapore, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Nigeria etc. He’s also a corporate governance and cross-border data privacy and tax expert.
As an award-winning writer and researcher, he is passionate about telling the African startup story, and is one of the continent’s pioneers in this regard

New Orange Digital Center Inaugurated In Morocco

March 24, 2022

Orange Morocco has opened the first Orange Digital Center in Morocco, in Rabat, to address the development of Morocco’s digital ecosystem, with the primary goal of making digital more accessible.

Orange Digital Center (ODC) is an ecosystem that brings together a variety of activities in one place, ranging from digital technology training for young people to propelling creative start-ups through project leadership assistance and financing. These programs are all free and accessible to the public. They range from youth training to digital literacy (90 percent of these trainings are practical trainings).

In the presence of Chakib Benmoussa, Minister of National Education, Preschool and Sports, Younes Sekkouri, Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills, Abdellatif Miraoui, Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, and other officials, the new space was officially inaugurated by Hendrik Kasteel, CEO of Orange Morocco, and Alioune Ndiaye, CEO of Orange Middle East & Africa.

The ODC brings together the Orange Group’s four strategic programs, including a code school, a Fablab digital manufacturing workshop in partnership with the Orange Foundation, and an Orange fab startup accelerator, which is funded by Orange Ventures, the Orange Group’s investment fund.

The Orange Digital Centers, which operate as a network, allow for the exchange of experiences and expertise from one country to the next and provide a simple and inclusive approach to improving young people’s employability, encouraging innovative entrepreneurship, and promoting the local digital fabric.

Hendrik Kasteel, CEO of Orange Morocco, stated that “Thousands of young Moroccan talents will be welcomed into the Orange Digital Center, where they will be able to develop their skills, ideas, and digital start-ups. This is just the beginning for this program, which will have a significant impact on society as a whole, with several “ODC Clubs” set to open across the Kingdom in the near future, commencing at Hassan II University in Casablanca.”

This effort is more broadly aligned with the Orange Group’s Engage 2025 strategy plan, which calls for the deployment of an ODC in each of the company’s operating nations by 2025. Tunisia, Senegal, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Madagascar, Morocco, Mali, and Egypt have already opened 10 Orange Digital Centers in the region. By the end of the year, there will be more inaugurations.

“ODC is a third option for young people who want to improve their digital skills. The first of our three aims in this project is to train 20,000 young people over the next three years. It’s also about identifying mature start-ups and introducing them to the global market. Finally, we wish to assist in the reduction of youth unemployment. Digital abilities are valued far more highly than degrees today than they have ever been,” HRD of Orange Morocco, Zakia Hajjaji, said.

Nadia Mrani, Orange Morocco’s CSR Manager, believes that the ODC is situated between the educational system and the labor market.

“This project aims to provide young people with practical knowledge and training in various technical solutions. We also connect young interns with employers to help them find internships. Quality support is provided to project leaders, allowing them to breathe new life into their startups.”

Initially based in Rabat, ODC aspires to expand its presence throughout the Kingdom, initially through “ODC Clubs” established within university institutions and large partner schools, completing the system of providing as many people as possible with access to new technologies and assisting them in making full use of them.

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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

Nokia Partners UNICEF and Orange Foundation to Empower Young Moroccans

November 21, 2021

Global telephone and equipment manufacturer Nokia is in a collaboration with UNICEF and Orange Foundation to empower young people with digital, entrepreneurial and environmental skills, as well as knowledge about climate change in Morocco. This project is part of UNICEF’s UPSHIFT program of which Nokia is supporting in partnership with Orange Foundation Morocco. The programme will provide digital skills training and technology coaching; Employees of Nokia and Orange Foundation will contribute through mentoring and training to young people; The collaboration with UNICEF Finland and UNICEF Morocco extends the existing Nokia shared value relationship bringing real outcomes to another country

Nokia has announced a partnership with UNICEF and Orange Foundation to empower marginalized young people, particularly girls, in Morocco with digital, entrepreneurial and environmental skills. This project is an extension of Nokia’s existing relationship with UNICEF in countries across the world.

The UPSHIFT program will empower young people to become resilient citizens who engage more actively with their families, schools, everyday life and contribute to the economy. It aims to enable them to support and give back to their communities as well as becoming increasingly productive through employment or self-employment. The UPSHIFT social innovation and venture curriculum is featured as part of the World Bank’s Solutions for Youth Employment portfolio.

By the end of the programme, at least 1,400 young people, of which at least 60% will be girls, will have received training in transferable skills such as working with others, self-esteem, creativity and communication. They will also be supported in digital skills development and in raising their awareness of climate change challenges. At least 500 young people will benefit from the social innovation curriculum, while roughly 250 young people will be assisted in developing projects to launch youth-led ventures.

Orange Morocco, through its Foundation, will join forces to assist and train the young people enrolled in the UPSHIFT program. Its employees will also contribute in the different stages of the program in selected areas such as digital skills. The project will be run in close collaboration with the Ministry of Education (Second Chance Schools initiative) and the Ministry of Youth (Youth Houses and Women centers).

Naseem Awl, Representative Ad-Interim at UNICEF Morocco, said: “This program shows the value of different partners – both public and private –in coming together in support of young people and the development of their skills. Nokia is contributing important direct support but also engaging directly through its employees along with Orange Morocco’s with young people in sharing their time, expertise and mentorship. We, at UNICEF Morocco, see this as a positive example for sustainable programmes for young people that are rooted in national strategies for impact and strengthened with innovation and community engagement.”

Hendrik Kasteel, CEO at Orange Morocco, said: “The Orange Foundation is proud to join this program alongside UNICEF and Nokia with the objective of developing digital skills and promoting the professional integration of marginalized young Moroccans. Convinced of our experience to help them build their professional know-how, we will provide these young project leaders training in digital skills that are essential for the design of their projects and coach them to achieve their objectives with the help of Orange employees in skills sponsorship.”

Pierre Chaume, VP, North and West Africa Market Unit at Nokia, said: “We believe in the power of collaboration to drive development, and are proud to team up with Orange Foundation to support our partner UNICEF’s flagship program, UPSHIFT, in Morocco. By together focusing on youth social innovation and entrepreneurship, we will empower underprivileged youth and equip them with digital, entrepreneurial and green skills.”

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry