Jérôme Hénique, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa , 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, including Botswana, by leveraging the expertise and resources of the Orange Digital Centers and Digital Africa.
Orange opened a digital centre in Botswana in November last year.
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.
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.
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.
"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,” Jérôme Hénique, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa.