To achieve digital inclusion and transformation, Africa needs everyone's help. Companies are taking concerted action to overcome the national and regional challenges that are still hampering that digital ambition.

On Tuesday, October 17, Orange Middle East and Africa and Smart Africa Alliance, a political initiative for the promotion of the digital sector in Africa, signed a partnership aimed at supporting digitization on the African continent.

The agreement, which covers collaboration between the two parties,  was initialed by Lacina Koné (photo, left), Managing Director of Smart Africa Alliance, and Jérôme Hénique (photo, left), CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa. It was signed on the sidelines of the second edition of Mobile World Congress Africa 2023 being held in Kigali, Rwanda.

As part of the cooperation, the two companies will work together to encourage the creation of innovative digital solutions, respond to local challenges, and contribute to sustainable development in Africa.

According to Jérôme Hénique, the partnership will contribute to "Smart Africa and Orange's shared objective of developing the digital skills of Africa's youth, particularly women, while supporting innovative entrepreneurship."

For three years, the two organizations will collaborate on activities such as training young people and women to support their employability in new digital professions through their digital skills development programs, notably the Smart Africa Digital Academy (SADA) and the Orange Digital Center (ODC) network, which is present in 17 countries in Africa and the Middle East, and 8 European countries.

They will also work together to strengthen innovative entrepreneurship by reinforcing incubation, acceleration, and financing capacities for entrepreneurs in priority sectors such as the environment, e-agriculture, e-health, e-commerce, etc.

For Lacina Koné, the new partnership will enable African citizens, especially young people, to be equipped for the jobs of the future. The aim is to actively contribute to the continent's digital transformation. "Joining forces with Orange will accelerate our collective efforts in this regard," he said.

Samira Njoya