Orange and the German Cooperation are inaugurating the 13th “Orange Digital Center”, in Conakry. This digital ecosystem is entirely dedicated to the development of digital skills and innovation.
The highest political and administrative authorities from Guinea, representatives of Germany in Guinea, members of the Management and Presidency of the Board of Orange Guinea and Representatives of Orange Middle East and Africa, will all be in attendance at the inauguration.
Following in the footsteps of Tunisia, Senegal, Ethiopia, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Egypt, Jordan, Madagascar, Morocco, Liberia, and Botswana; Guinea will be the 13th Orange Digital Center host in Africa and the Middle East.
Spread over 600 sq. m, it brings together four strategic programmes of the Orange group. Specifically, a coding school, a solidarity FabLab – one of the Orange Foundation’s digital manufacturing workshops, and an Orange Fab start-up accelerator. This will be supported by Orange Ventures Middle East and Africa (the investment fund of Orange Group that invests in the most talented startups of Orange Digital Center).
Alioune Ndiaye, chairman of the Board of Orange Middle East and Africa said:
“I am honoured to be part of the launch of our 13th Orange Digital Center today in Guinea. It 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 by 2023.
“The objective is to democratise access to digital technology for young people – with or without qualifications. Furthermore, we want to provide them with the latest technological skills to strengthen their employability and prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow.”
Apply to a programme
All the programmes are provided free of charge and open to everyone. These range from digital training for young people, 90 per cent of which are practical. Additionally, it provides guidance for project bearers, start-up acceleration, and investment in these.
Working as a network, the Orange Digital Centers allow experiences and expertise to be shared between countries. It offers a simple and inclusive approach to improving young people’s employability. This is in addition to encouraging innovative entrepreneurship and promoting the local digital ecosystem.
“The future of Guinea is its youth – and digital is the future of the world.” – Frank Lütje, business manager of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in the Republic of Guinea
The Orange Digital Center in Guinea is completely operational and is fully functional to host several digital training and events. Additionally, Orange Guinea, in partnership with universities, will train students for free and roll out Orange Digital Center Clubs. These are extensions of the Orange Digital Center within some universities in the region. Thus, it will complement the education system to give as many people as possible access to new technologies and support in using them to their full extent.
Orange and the German Development Cooperation are working together as part of a development partnership within the develoPPP programme. As a result, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is implementing this on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The goal is to fulfil their shared vision, fostering youth employability. All the 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.
Achieving sustainable development goals
This initiative is fully in line with its commitment as a responsible operator. It focuses on the following sustainable development goals:
- (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
- (SDG 17) partnerships for goals
Frank Lütje, business manager of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in the Republic of Guinea said:
“The future of Guinea is its youth – and digital is the future of the world. This initiative aims to strengthen the access of young people to the labor market. Furthermore, it strengthens access to entrepreneurship so that they can fully contribute to a better future for their generations and Guinea as a whole.”
Ousmane Boly Traoré, CEO of Orange Guinea said:
“It is important for us to ensure that young people are not only competitive in the job market, but that they can also find the resources they need. This will enable them to train in new technologies, become entrepreneurs and in turn create jobs.
“The Orange Digital Center is one of the elements of the Orange Group’s strategy to enable young people to face this challenge. It is a unique ecosystem dedicated to the development of digital skills and innovation, as well as a place to live and think for projects that are bound to grow and go as far as possible.”
Image and article originally from thefintechtimes.com. Read the original article here.