On the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress Africa, taking place in Kigali, the Smart Africa alliance and Orange Middle East and Africa (https://www.Orange.com/en) have signed a three-year agreement aimed to support the development of African continent’s digitalization through advocacy, knowledge sharing and assess government digital maturity to accelerate Africa’s digital transformation and the creation of sustainable jobs for Africans.

Orange and Smart Africa are two major institutions, one recognized for its commitment towards digital inclusion and its knowledge in the innovation field, and the other one, empowered by a bold and innovative commitment by African Heads of State to accelerate sustainable socio-economic development on the continent.

Both organizations will collaborate in activities such as training for the youth and women to support their employability in new digital professions. This will be done through their digital skills development programs namely Smart Africa Digital Academy (SADA) and the Orange Digital Center (ODC) network, present in 16 countries in Africa and the Middle East and 6 European countries.

They will also work together in enhancing innovative entrepreneurship by strengthening incubation, acceleration, and financing capacities for entrepreneurs in priority sectors such as: environment, e-agriculture, e-health, e-commerce, etc.

Both the Smart Africa Digital Academy (SADA) and the Orange Digital Center (ODC) are dedicated to offering digital skills training to diverse audiences.

Orange Digital Center (ODC) brings together in a same physical structure a set of free programs open to all, ranging from digital training for young people and support for entrepreneurship to acceleration and investment in startups.

Smart Africa Digital Academy (SADA) is the driving vehicle for implementing Smart Africa’s digital skills initiatives, aiming to empower African citizens to embrace digital transformation and equip them to innovate and compete on a global scale.

Through their programs, the two organizations will work together to encourage the creation of innovative digital solutions to respond to local challenges and thus contribute to the sustainable development of the continent.

Commenting on this agreement, Lacina Koné, CEO of Smart Africa, stated: “Empowering African citizens, young people especially, to equip them for the jobs of the future has been key to our digital transformation efforts. Joining efforts with Orange will expedite our collective efforts in this regard.”

Jérôme Hénique, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa, added: “This partnership will contribute to the objective shared between Smart Africa and Orange namely to develop the digital skills of the African youth, especially women, while supporting innovative entrepreneurship. This is part of our commitment to actively contribute to the digital transformation of the continent.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Orange Middle East and Africa.

Press contacts:
Orange Middle East and Africa
Anita Oyono,
anita.oyono@orange.com
+ 33 6 75 02 03 79

Stella Fumey,
stella.fumey@orange.com,
+212 770111116

Smart Africa
Yvan Guéhi,
Head of Brand and Communications,
E-mail: comms@smartafrica.org

Smart Africa Social media:
Twitter: https://apo-opa.info/3ImW7BG
Facebook: https://apo-opa.info/3rXpR2H
Linkedin: https://apo-opa.info/48TVQRY
Website: www.SmartAfrica.org

About Smart Africa:
Smart Africa is an alliance of African countries, international organizations and global private sector players tasked with Africa’s digital agenda. The alliance is empowered by a bold and innovative commitment by African Heads of State to accelerate sustainable socio-economic development on the continent and usher Africa into the knowledge economy through affordable access to broadband and the use of ICTs. With a vision to create a single digital market in Africa by 2030, the Smart Africa Alliance brings together Heads of State who seek to accelerate the digitalization of the continent and create a common market. Launched in 2013 by seven (7) African Heads of State, the Alliance now has 39 members countries, representing over 1 billion people and over 50 Private Sector members committed to the vision and the advancement of Africa.

About Orange Middle East and Africa (OMEA):
Orange is present in 18 countries in Africa and the Middle East and has 146 million customers at 30 June 2023. With 6.9 billion euros of revenues in 2022, Orange MEA is the first growth area in the Orange group. Orange Money, its flagship mobile-based money transfer and financial services offer is available in 17 countries and has more than 90 million customers. Orange, multi-services operator, key 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 revenues of 43.5 billion euros in 2022 and 136,000 employees worldwide at 30 June 2023, including 74,000 employees in France. The Group has a total customer base of 291 million customers worldwide at 30 June 2023, including 246 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. In February 2023, the Group presented its strategic plan "Lead the Future", built on a new business model and guided by responsibility and efficiency. "Lead the Future" capitalizes on network excellence to reinforce Orange's leadership in service quality.

Orange is listed on Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN).

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