The
Chief Executive Officer for Orange Middle East and Africa, Jerome Henique, and
Isadora Bigourdan, CEO of Digital Africa, have signed a partnership agreement during the event Vivatech to promote and strengthen the growth of African startups by leveraging the expertise and resources of the Orange Digital Centers and Digital Africa.
As part of this collaboration, Orange and
Digital Africa will work to identify and select promising tech startups across
the African continent. Selected startups will be able to access a range of
resources, including mentoring programs, technical support, funding, and networking
opportunities through the Orange Digital Center and the Digital Africa
community.
The Orange Digital Centers (ODC) are ecosystems
in 17 countries in Africa and the Middle East and 8 countries in Europe, that
support, train, and guide young people and those with innovative ideas, to
enhance their employability and prepare them for the jobs of the future (AI,
cybersecurity, etc.) or encourage them to become digital entrepreneurs.
The Orange Digital Centers bring together a
range of free programs open to everyone all in one place, from digital training
for young people to startup acceleration, as well as support and investment for
project leaders.
To intensify its activities to develop digital
entrepreneurship in the priority areas of each country: environment, e-agri,
e-health, e-commerce... The Orange Digital Centers are entering today a new
phase, ODC 2.0, with a special focus on women and the digitally excluded.
Digital Africa's mission is to strengthen the
capacity of African entrepreneurs to design and deploy digital innovations at
scale for the real economy. Acting as a catalyst, Digital Africa brings
together a range of partners of all nationalities - startups, researchers,
incubators, institutional investors, venture capitalists, cluster techs - all
committed to African digital entrepreneurs, and foremost among them is
Proparco, as sole shareholder.
Digital Africa's operational approach is based
on a clear diagnosis of entrepreneurs' needs, directly from the field, to
develop a set of programs around three main priorities:
Strengthening the skills and tools needed to launch a startup,
through access to trained local talent and data.
Facilitating access to seed funding by implementing agile funding
schemes such as the creation of investor communities.
Supporting "made in Africa" innovation policies that are
favorable to innovative digital entrepreneurs in Africa, as well as supporting
the production of knowledge on digital issues in Africa.
Leveraging the vast network of Orange Digital
Centers and Digital Africa, startups will be connected to potential investors,
partners and customers, enabling them to develop their business and accelerate
their growth.
Through this partnership, Orange and Digital
Africa will continue to contribute to the development of a thriving startup
ecosystem in Africa. By providing young entrepreneurs with the tools, knowledge
and support they need, this collaboration aims to empower them to turn their
innovative ideas into successful businesses. It is part of their shared commitment
to promote digital innovation "made in Africa" and to foster
socio-economic development on the continent.
At the signing ceremony, representatives from
Orange and Digital Africa expressed their enthusiasm and commitment to the
success of this partnership. They emphasized the importance of nurturing local
talent, promoting digital inclusion, and unlocking the immense potential of
African startups.
"Digital talent is key to transforming
the African continent. This partnership with the Orange Digital Centers
aligns with our strategy for identifying promising entrepreneurs locally and
helping them to access support, funding, and lobbying tools through an
international network of allies," said Isadora Bigourdan, CEO of Digital Africa.
Jérôme Hénique, CEO of
Orange Middle East and Africa,
added: "We are very excited to launch this collaboration with Digital
Africa, as it adds an essential component to our existing Orange Digital
Centers network, facilitating access to flexible financing solutions specifically
designed to meet the needs of seed-stage entrepreneurs. This collaboration
represents real added value and will help stimulate the growth of the African
startup ecosystem."
By: Kanto Okanta