Orange has announced a strategic partnership with Tencent Cloud, the cloud business of global technology company Tencent, to enrich the ecosystem and service offering of its super-app Max it for businesses and populations in the region. Max it launched in Botswana in November 2023.
At Mobile World Congress (MWC), Orange Middle East and Africa (OMEA) announced its collaboration with Tencent Cloud to adopt Tencent Cloud's mobility framework and Tencent Cloud Mini Program Platform (TCMPP) solution to create an open platform for Max it to integrate a wide range of mini-apps within its super-app. Leveraging its track record of supporting Tencent’s Weixin/WeChat ecosystem, which has over 1.1 billion monthly active Mini Program users, Tencent Cloud’s technological expertise will empower OMEA in the field of mini-apps to enrich the Max it ecosystem and improve the customer and partner experience, while strengthening its position in the African market.
"This partnership with Tencent Cloud is a key step in our vision to offer innovative and high-value services to our users. Enriching Max it with innovative mini-apps is essential to strengthen the value proposition of Max it, increase the penetration of our super-app among Orange and non-Orange customers, and amplify our social impact," said Jérôme Hénique, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa.
By gradually integrating mini-app technology from the second half of 2024 thanks to its Digital Factory, OMEA aims to give access to its platform to a hundred partners, global and local, and double the adoption of its super-app by 2025. The partnership with Tencent Cloud is part of OMEA's vision to create with Max it a unique digital ecosystem in Africa, inclusive and accessible to all digital and content players, to put the world within reach of its customers.
Furthermore, OMEA commits to supporting African entrepreneurship through this alliance by offering local startups, merchants, content creators, as well as major brands and companies the opportunity to develop mini-applications tailored to the needs of each country. This approach will not only enhance African innovation but also stimulate the local economy by creating new employment opportunities and economic growth.