Orange - Afrikan Heroes

2021 Edition Of Orange Social Venture Prize Opens Today

March 9, 2021

Orange Social Venture Prize in Africa and the Middle East (OSVP) returns for the eleventh time. Submission of applications will begin today March 9, 2021 and will close on Friday June 4, 2021. The national phases will be held from June to the end of August and the international competition will take place from mid-September to mid-October according to the organization’s schedule.

To apply, the competition requires certain criteria to be fulfilled, namely:

Be students, employees or entrepreneurs of over 21 years of age.

Also, present projects must have been launched at least three years before the 2021 launch date.

The project is available to applicants from the following countries: Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Guinea -Bissau, Guinee Conakry, Jordaine, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Tunisia.

Having become a benchmark, the Orange Social Venture Prize in Africa and the Middle East (OSVP) rewards each year the best technology projects organized in two stages: first a national competition in 17 countries, and then an international jury designates the winners of the Grand Prix.

For the last edition, in 2020, the Prize succeeded in mobilizing 1300 applications.

During the national phases, 41 startups brilliantly distinguished themselves.

Subsequently, Tunisian psychological counseling service Ahkili, the first on-demand motorcycle-taxi service for the city of Bamako Telimam, and the inexpensive and innovative Liberian e-learning platform Weeglo landed on the podium.

To apply, click here.

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

Orange 2021 social prize Orange 2021 social prize

France’s Largest Telecom Operator, Orange, To Enter Nigerian And South African Markets

June 15, 2020

Telecom operators in Nigeria and South Africa should be worried for their market shares. This is because Orange, France’s largest telecom operator, believes it would benefit from having a wider footprint in Africa and will give itself a few months to make further inroads into the contient, Chief Executive Stephane Richard told Les Echos business newspaper.

“It could make sense to be in economies such as Nigeria and South Africa,” Richard was quoted as saying. “If one considers there are things to do, the time frame I am considering is rather a few months than a few years.”

Here Is What You Need To Know

Richard declined to comment on a possible interest in South Africa’s MTN Group Ltd.
The Middle East and Africa, where Orange has a presence in 18 countries, is the company’s fastest-growing market.
The region makes a large chunk of its revenues from payment transfers — a key part of the group’s diversification into financial services.
Orange said earlier this year it was bringing its operations in the Middle East and Africa into a single entity, paving the way for a potential listing of the operations that could raise cash to invest in overseas expansion.
Richard said Orange would also be looking at bolstering partnerships with health companies or institutions.
Earlier this year, the French telecom operator inaugurated an Orange Middle East and Africa operational head office in Morocco.

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

Second Orange Digital Center In Africa Launched In Dakar, Senegal

October 27, 2019

French telecom operator Orange has inaugurated its new concept of a place entirely dedicated to innovation, an “Orange Digital Center”. Following on from Tunisia, Senegal will be home to the second Orange Digital Center in Africa and the Middle East.

Here Is All You Need To Know

With a surface area of 2,000 m² on six floors, the Orange Digital Center in Dakar will be the first of its kind in West Africa.
Working as a network, these places allow experiences and expertise to be shared between countries and offer a simple and inclusive approach to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship and to support the local digital ecosystem.
The purpose of the Orange Digital Centers is to bring together several strategic programmes under the same roof: coding school, Solidarity FabLab, Orange Fab and Orange Digital Ventures Africa, the Group’s investment fund. All of the programmes provided are free-of-charge and include digital training for young people, startup acceleration, and guidance for project owners and investment in these projects.
Other centers are expected to open by the end of the year in Jordan,Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire, with yet more in 2020 in Morocco and Egypt.
Ultimately, similar organisations will be deployed in all the countries within Orange’s footprint in Africa and the Middle-East as well as in Europe.

“I am very proud to open the second Orange Digital Center in Dakar, after the one in Tunis. As the main contributor to the digital ecosystem in Senegal, Sonatel supports the emergence of a creative and flourishing ecosystem that provides digital players with the opportunity to imagine ways to create and prosper. These new spaces are dedicated not only to students, young people with and without diplomas and young people changing career, but also to entrepreneurs reflecting the ambition to promote a strong and innovative digital economy for the country’s socio-economic development”, explains Sékou Dramé, CEO of Sonatel.

“We are working in close collaboration with all the stakeholders, including governments and academics, to strengthen the employability of young Africans and to encourage them to run businesses and to innovate in their countries. Our ambition is to deploy this initiative outside Africa, from the south to the north, by opening Orange Digital Centers in France and Europe. For the moment, Côte d’Ivoire, Jordan and Cameroon will follow in the next few months and in 2020 Morocco and Egypt then all the countries in the Africa and Middle-East zone will have their own Orange Digital Center” adds Alioune Ndiaye, CEO of Orange Africa and the Middle East.

According to Christine Albanel, Senior Exec VP:Diversity at Orange, “The Orange Foundation’s mission, in the countries where it operates, is to provide everyone with a chance by leveraging digital technology. The Orange Digital Center in Dakar illustrates our ambition to make digital inclusion the key focus of our social commitment. The Solidarity FabLab and the coding school, which are part of the Foundation’s and CSR’s inclusion programmes will enable many young people to develop new digital skills and will set them on the course to employment.”

About Orange

Orange is a French telecommunication company present in 19 countries in Africa and the Middle East where it had 123 million customers on 30 June 2019. With sales revenue of €5.2 billion in 2018, this area is a strategic priority for the Group. Orange Money, its mobile-based money transfer and financial services offer is available in 17 countries and has 45 million customers. Orange, a multi-service operator, benchmark partner of the digital transformation, provides its expertise to support the development of new digital services in Africa and the Middle East.

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based Lawyer with special focus on Business Law, Intellectual Property Rights, Entertainment and Technology Law. He is also an award-winning writer. Working for notable organizations so far has exposed him to some of industry best practices in business, finance strategies, law, dispute resolution, and data analytics both in Nigeria and across the world