Encourage innovation and the use of ICTS at the service of development is the purpose aimed by Orange by introducing since 2010, the « Orange Prize for Social Entrepreneur in Africa ». In other words, Orange intends to support the local entrepreneurship to accelerate the development of countries.
The edition of 2014 is just launched with applications opening from 22nd May to 19th September 2014 on the web site of Orange in Africa: http://www.starafrica.com
This 4th edition gets an innovation. A special prize called « Orange Partner » will reward a project joining an Orange application.
This year too, the « Orange Prize for Social Entrepreneur in Africa » will reward entrepreneurs proposing products or services which lean in an innovative way on ICTS to meet the needs of populations of African continent in various domains as health, agriculture, education, energy, industry or business.
On the whole, the prize will reward four projects: three projects endowed with 10 000 , 15 000 and 25 000 euros, as well as a new special 10 000-euro prize which will be given to the finalist who will have used an Orange API.
The four prize-winners will benefit from a support of six months by professionals of entrepreneurship and from ICTS and, as last year, the first prize will be offered by Orange, the deposit of a patent in the country of deployment of the project.
This year too, Internet users can elect their on-line favorite project on Orange web site in Africa, http://www.StarAfrica.com. The prize-winner « Coup de Cœur » will see their file directly submitted to the jury among the other project finalists preset by the experts and will so maximize their chances to be listed among winners of the Prize 2014.
Who can take part in this programme?
Any entrepreneur of more than 21 years old or any legal existing entity for less than three years at the time of the competition, without restriction of nationality, can freely participate in this prize. The presented projects have to plan a deployment of their service in at least one of the 18 countries of Africa where Orange is implanted and to allow information and communication technologies contribute in an innovative way in order to improve the living conditions of populations in these countries.
In three years, more than 1 500 projects were deposited for the Orange Prize Social Entrepreneur reflecting the real entrepreneurial dynamics and the telecommunications potential on African continent.
Original text by: Blaise AKAME