The launching ceremony of the 14th edition of the Orange Prize for Social Entrepreneurship in Africa and the Middle East (PESAM) was held yesterday, Thursday, at the Orange Digital Center headquarters. Three winners received checks: the first obtained a check for 5 million CFA francs, the second 4 million, and the third received an envelope of 3 million CFA francs.
The Director of Orange Digital Center, Ms. Awa Niang, opened the ceremony by praising the longevity of the competition which, since 2011, has highlighted innovative start-ups with a strong social impact. “This award is a real launching pad, and seeing these projects flourish over time and internationally is extremely encouraging,” she said.
She then highlighted some examples of projects that have benefited from Orange’s support. Among them, Rounelabs, an award-winning project in 2017 for its use of virtual reality in education. This project has since been recognized internationally, notably integrating an NVIDIA program. Ms. Niang also mentioned ION, a start-up in the midst of fundraising and partner of the University of Ottawa, illustrating the success and long-term support of the winners.
The Deputy Director of Sonatel, Ms. Aminata Niang, recalled the impressive participation figures: “
In three months, we evaluated more than 120 projects to select our three winners,” she explained. She underlined the importance of the support provided to start-ups in their scaling up, while recalling the sustainable development objectives of the program.
Finally, the winner of this edition, founder of the start-up “Little Things”, shared her personal journey. Passionate about baking since childhood, she launched her business by combining local cuisine and food styling. “Little Things was born from my desire to promote local Senegalese products and promote our culture through creative recipes,” she declared with pride. His success earned him a check for 5 million CFA francs, symbolizing recognition of his efforts and a boost from Orange for his international visibility. The second winner received 4 million CFA francs and the third received 3 million.
The ceremony concluded on a note of encouragement for African youth to whom this prize is primarily aimed, by celebrating innovation.
Lamine DIEDHIOU
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