Orange Maroc and the German Cooperation has inaugurated in Rabat, the
first “Orange Digital Center” (ODC) in Morocco, a digital ecosystem entirely
dedicated to the development of digital skills and innovation and to support
the development of new technologies in the Kingdom and make digital more
accessible to all.
The Orange Digital
Center according to a statement issued on Wednesday is an innovative concept that brings together four strategic programs of
the Orange group, namely; a coding school, a solidarity FabLab - one of the Orange Foundation's digital manufacturing
workshops, an Orange Fab start-up accelerator, supported by Orange Ventures
Africa, the investment fund.
All of the programs are provided free of charge and open to everyone. They range from digital training for young people, 90% of
which are practical, start-up acceleration, and guidance for project bearers
and investment. Working as a network, the Orange Digital Centers allow experiences and
expertise to be shared between countries and offer a simple and inclusive
approach to improve young people's employability, encourage innovative
entrepreneurship and promote the local digital ecosystem.
Initially based in
Rabat, ODC aims to also be present in the various regions of the Kingdom,
firstly through “ODC Clubs” deployed within partner universities and major
schools, thus complementing the education system to give as many people as
possible access to new technologies and support them in putting these
technologies to use them to their full extent.
Orange and the
German Cooperation are working together as part of a development partnership
within the develoPPP program, which the Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is implementing on behalf of the
German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The goal
is to fulfil their shared vision, fostering youth employability while
supporting sustainable growth and the country's digital transformation. The
programme is also working to advance gender equality and inclusion by promoting
access for women and girls to ICT jobs.
Through digital
technology, this programme focuses on the following sustainable development
goals in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development:
(SDG 4) quality education, (SDG 5) gender equality, (SDG 8) decent work and
economic growth, (SDG 9) industry, innovation and infrastructure, (SDG 10)
reduced inequalities and (SDG 17) partnerships for goals.
This initiative is
more broadly in line with the Orange Group’s Engage 2025 strategic plan, which
commits to rolling out an ODC by 2025 in each of the countries in which it
operates. To date, ten Orange Digital Centers have already opened in the area:
Tunisia, Senegal, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Jordan, Madagascar,
Morocco, Mali and Egypt. More openings are scheduled by the end of the year.
Speaking during the launch, the Chairman and CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa, Alioune Ndiaye, Chairman said “I am very proud to inaugurate the 10th Orange
Digital Center today in Morocco, which is part of a network of 32 Orange
Digital Centers that will be deployed not only, in Africa and the Middle East,
but also in Europe. The objective is to democratize access to digital
technology to young people - with or without qualifications - giving them
access to the latest technological skills to strengthen their employability and
prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow.”
On her part, the Executive Director of CSR, Diversity, and Philanthropy at Orange,
Deputy Chair of the Orange Foundation, Elizabeth Tchoungui also added that “This great
project is a key step in our societal responsibility for digital inclusion,
especially for young people and women. The FabLab Solidaire, a
key program of the Orange Foundation, is an essential building block of this
socially useful action, by allowing beneficiaries without access to digital tools
to reconnect with the professional world: the beginning of a beautiful journey
that, through the development of technical skills and through the
complementarity of the systems deployed, goes up to the creation of businesses."
Hendrik Kasteel, CEO of Orange Morocco, says: “Our presence here today
demonstrates our commitment as a responsible digital leader and partner of the
Kingdom in the digital transformation. The programs we implement with the
support of our partners help us achieve our objectives, which are to give young
people the keys to improving their digital skills in order to support their
employability and contribute to the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Orange Digital
Center will welcome thousands of young Moroccan talents and allow them to develop
their skills, projects or digital startups. This initiative will have a real
impact in the society as a whole.”
Ellen Michel, Head of GIZ’s “develoPPP for jobs” programme, says: “The
future of Morocco is its youth - and digital is the future of the world. This
initiative aims to strengthen young people's access to the labor market as well
as to entrepreneurship so that they can fully contribute to the development of
their country. GIZ is proud to be able to support such a forward-looking
project.”
Orange is present
in 18 countries in Africa and the Middle East and has 135 million customers at
31 December 2021. With 6.4 billion euros of revenues in 2021, 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 60 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.
