KIGALI, Rwanda, October 26, 2022: Launched in 2011, the Orange (www.Orange.com) Social Venture Prize (OSVP) in Africa and the Middle East recognizes the best tech start-up projects that make a positive impact on society or the environment in their region or align with sustainable development goals.
The competition reflects the Group’s drive to further socioeconomic progress in its operating countries, support social and environmental innovation and encourage entrepreneurship.
A 12th edition that exceptionally recognized five winners
This year, nearly 1,400 applications were submitted from across the 17 countries involved in the competition.
The OSVP is split into two awards:
- The International Women’s Prize, which awards €20,000 to the winner whose business venture is led by women entrepreneurs or with the primary purpose of improving women’s lives by developing solutions to specific obstacles or issues they face.
- The International Grand Prix, which recognizes three projects that harness tech to make a positive social and environmental impact. The three winners receive the following:
- 1st prize: €25,000
- 2nd prize: €15,000
- 3rd prize: €10,000
For the second time in 12 years, the panel decided to award the Judges’ Choice prize – €10,000 given to a project that is expected to make a particularly significant impact.
Winners of the international competition
At the Mobile World Congress Africa in Kigali, Rwanda, from October 25 to 27, 2022, Elizabeth Tchoungui, Executive Director CSR, Diversity and Philanthropy and Deputy Chair for the Orange Foundation, and Brelotte Ba, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Orange Middle East & Africa, held a ceremony during which the winners were announced.
The winner of the International Women’s Prize is:
- iRole ! (https://oran.ge/3W2Qiy8) (Jordan) – iRole! is a digital platform that connects women looking for remote work with organizations seeking to fill such vacancies.
The winners of the International Grand Prix are:
- 3rd prize: Kamioun (https://oran.ge/3gMI3G4) (Tunisia) – Kamioun has developed an e-commerce platform to supply local convenience stores in Tunisia.
- 2nd prize: Biomass4GLC (https://oran.ge/3swU9Gk) (Mali) – Biomass4GLC produces and distributes biogas suitable for cooking in Mali by renting out connected systems.
- 1st prize: LifeBlood (https://oran.ge/3SF2FNX) (Sierra Leone) – LifeBlood is a digital health platform designed to solve the acute shortage of blood products available in the country’s healthcare system.
The winner of the Judges’ Choice prize is:
- Abana (https://oran.ge/3TUUyOj) (Democratic Republic of the Congo) – Abana is a marketplace through which clothes designers can sell their creations to shoppers.
A long track record of supporting entrepreneurship, responsible innovation and empowerment of women in Africa and the Middle East
Across the continent, which is enjoying vibrant population growth and considerable economic momentum, young African entrepreneurs find themselves more in need of support than ever. As a long-standing driver of progress in Africa, Orange seeks to support young people by giving them the possibility to raise their profile, through the Orange Social Venture Prize. Orange puts in place tangible action to promote and improve gender equality, an area that has long been identified by the Group as a priority, for example by creating the International Women’s Prize and including it in the OSVP. Part of the competition for three years now, this prize acknowledges projects designed to improve women’s lives.
Since the OSVP was launched in 2011, Orange has awarded €600,000 in prize money to over 30 winners and has financed mentoring and support for nearly 90 entrepreneurs from experts at Orange or its partners.
Social entrepreneurship in Africa and the Middle East is more deeply rooted than ever in the lives of people, especially women. This trend is confirmed by the number of female candidates collected under the OSVP 2022 which is in line with the continental average, which is nearly 30% according to World Bank.
About Orange Africa and the Middle East:
Orange is present in 18 countries in Africa and the Middle East, and had 139 million customers at June 30, 2022. With €6.4 billion in turnover in 2021, Orange MEA is the Group’s main growth region. Orange Money, with its mobile-based money transfer and financial services offer is available in 17 countries and has over 70 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.
About Orange:
Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with sales of 42.5 billion euros in 2021 and 137,000 employees worldwide on June 30, 2022, including 76,000 employees in France. The Group has a total customer base of 282 million customers worldwide on June 30, 2022, including 236 million mobile customers and 24 million fixed broadband customers. The Group is present in 26 countries. Orange is also a leading provider of global IT and telecommunication services to multinational companies under the brand Orange Business Services. In December 2019, the Group presented its “Engage 2025” strategic plan, which, guided by social and environmental accountability, aims to reinvent its operator model. While accelerating in growth areas and placing data and AI at the heart of its innovation model, the Group will be an attractive and responsible employer, adapted to emerging professions.
