Technology now appears as an essential tool that can be leveraged for improved governance and growth. In line with its commitment to socio-economic development in Africa, Orange wants to support the development of innovative tech solutions.   

French telecom group Orange announced Friday (May, 20), the launch of its 12th Orange Summer Challenge, a 3-month competition helping students create innovative tech solutions. Backed by Google and EY Tunisie, the competition is open for students in the eight MENA countries where Orange already has its digital centers. Those countries are namely Tunisia, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Cameroon, Mali, Sierra Leone, Madagascar, and Jordan.

In the framework of the summer challenge, students who have projects aimed at leveraging technology for the greater good will receive training and mentorship from local and international coaches. The experts teaching and mentoring them will notably come from Orange Coding Academy (for the software component of the competition) and the FabLab Solidaire (for the hardware component).

They will also receive technical support, notably in project design (business modeling, business plan writing, etc…), from EY Tunisie. 

The three partners will also provide design thinking and soft skill courses to help mentees present their projects during the final stage of the competition in each of the participating countries. Applications for the summer challenge are open till June 15, 2022. Interested students can submit their applications here. 

Ruben Tchounyabe