By: Kadiatu Sankoh
Orange Sierra Leone, one of the leading mobile telecoms in the country, on Friday 9th August 2024, concluded its 6th Edition of the prestigious Orange Social Venture Prize (OSVP) pitch event held at Brookfields Hotel, Freetown. The competition, which featured eight (8) finalists vying for the impressive prize sum of Two Hundred Thousand Leones (Le200,000).
The OSVP is basically divided into two categories, one which is the Tech Queen category, where they have three female contenders, and the other, which is the Innovation and grand final category, where 5 grand finalists of the same gender contend.
In an opening statement made by the head of Orange SL, Madam Nini Margboh, she said that since 2019 they have received over 1,200 applications for entrepreneurs and innovation in Sierea Leone through the OSVP, and out of all these applications,vthey have kindly recognized outstanding 9 applicants, and some have gone up to global level and have won international grand prize of 25,000 thousand Leones, which has contributed in society and have been reflected in the past five seasons, and that the first grand prize during those edition was 10,000 thousand old leones, which has brought a lot of development to Sierea Leone.
She continued that today’s grand prize is 120,000 thousand new Leones. Significantly, it is also an investment in the country, providing the resources and the support needed,vand as they continue to work with Orange SL, they will affirm nurturing of entrepreneurship in the nation.
In addition, she pledged to continue to support and expand the next generation of social entrepreneurs, because it’s a good innovation and a passion to build a brighter future for Sierea Leone.
CEO and founder of ELBA, Madam Edwin Elba, in her motivational speech, congratulated Orange SL and deliberated on the OSVP program by saying that Innovation involves exploring good work and beautiful things people may want to do, both nationally and internationally. She admonished the participant to keep their jobs and houses well, and if there are some people they can partner with, they should cherish the opportunity so that they can cope and be resilient and make the most out of it. She emphasized that it is not about making money, but about making a better future in and for the society.
In the presence of esteemed dignitaries including Government Ministers, Diplomatic Corp and key stakeholders, the CEO and Manager, Mr. Francis Steven, delivered a warm speech at the OSVP Competition and Awards night, furthering that since late 2017 they were approached by orange to start this innovation scheme, in 2017 they start the innovation of entrepreneurship, and 2018 was the first sponsorship they made for 6 months, and Orange SL. was one of the big sponsor which brought the idea for the OSVP.
He continued that after over 7 years orange has been working with government and has been doing a lot to increase the number of people in the digital system to support in training, which is the key aspect in the development of the platform that is funded by Orange money, and in terms of human resources, the mobile company was engaged in every part of the system in the global world.
In addition, Orange supported Freetown innovation this year with the prize of 50,000 thousand Leone to the winners, demonstrating its regard to their commitment, because it is not just a competition, but one of the key tools in helping them to inspire others. He also said that since 2 years ago when they started the platform, they have been able to reach the level where they now have 9 finalists.
The OSVP, an investment fund backed by the Orange Group, has been a driving force in supporting startups across 17 countries in Africa and the Middle East. As a leading mobile telecoms company, Orange is committed to being the premier digital partner for startups in the region, contributing to digital transformation.
The OSVP competition has been instrumental in accelerating innovation in Sierra Leone, supported by Partner Innovation Sierra Leone. It aims to empower startups and innovators in the country, rewarding projects in education, healthcare, e-commerce, and agriculture that align with sustainable development goals. Notably, efforts have been made to increase female participation, fostering women’s empowerment in the tech sector.
The CEO expressed immense excitement about the success of the competition, affirming Orange’s commitment to lead the digital transformation in Sierra Leone. The company aims to provide young people with the tools to navigate the digital world and create a platform for future innovators and entrepreneurs to lead the way.
Minister of Youth Affairs, Hon. Mohamed .O. Bangura, expressed appreciation to the Government of Sierra Leone, adding that the establishment of the OSVP is to creates great impact in the area of Education, Health, Agriculture, E-commerce and the improvement of women’s living conditions, encourage social responsibility, as well as support sustainable development in Africa and the Middle East.
He further advised the participants to pave their way in devoting there minds to work hard to maintain the platforms of OSVP, and that over the years they have been creating platforms for Sierra Leonean young people, and that last year they came with about ten young people.
Finalists of the Tech queens, Monica Jackson, Cheryl Alafai Thomas and Mabel Turay showcased their pitch presentations, and general grand finalist, Joseph Edwin Gambai, Abdulia Barrie, Sir Prince Malcolm Nuni, Abdul K. Sesay and Maada Mansaray also presented their pitch to the audience and judges.
Questions were asked by the judges to all finalists, to explain how they managed to invent their pitches and what their plans are in the coming years.
Danetta Younge, the Secretary General Orange SL. announced Monica Jackson with the Tech queens as winner for the Tech category with the prize of 120,000, and Abdul Karim Sesay of the Emotions SL, emerging the winner of the general grand OSVP 2024 6th Edition, with the prize of NLe 200,000.
Minister of Youth Affairs, Mohamed O. Bangura, congratulated the winners of the OSVP and said that this is a huge boost for them, that they should take advantage of it.
Osman Yaah, the winner of OSVP 2022, concluded by thanking Orange SL and especially the CEO for promoting Innovation and Technology, and that he is glad to witness this year’s 6th OSVP edition.