The 13th Orange Social Venture Prize winners named by African entrepreneurs

The 13th Orange Social Venture Prize in Africa and the Middle East (POESAM) has named African entrepreneurs the winners, awarding them with cash prizes in various amounts.

This award, which was first given out in 2011, honours creative new ventures that use ICTs to improve society in the Middle East and Africa. The majority of the projects are centered around e-commerce, agriculture, healthcare, education, or the environment.

Orange has funded the support of 90 entrepreneurs through expert guidance from Orange or its partners, and it has awarded 47 projects since the program’s inception.

Orange received 1,300 applications from 17 different countries for each of the three categories that comprised this year’s prize. Three projects based on new technologies with an impact on society or the environment receive the International Grand Prize. Adinkra Jeunesse of Cameroon took home first prize and EUR25,000 (US $27,000). Adinkra Jeunesse specializes in digitally publishing African children’s books with characters that depict African cultures and stories.

Second place went to Egypt’s Egrobots, which provides farmers with a digital solution to maximize their business, and third place went to Jordan’s Smart WTI, which uses IoT/AI technology to provide advanced water management solutions, for EUR10,000 (US $11,001).

A startup whose project is led by a woman and that helps to improve living conditions by offering specific solutions to social or environmental problems is awarded the EUR20,000 (US $21,000) International Women’s Prize. This year, Tunisia’s Bionic Soul, which creates and sells intelligent, reasonably priced, bespoke bionic prostheses for amputees, took home the title.

The organization Cameroon’s Services for Aged, which offers assistance, health care, and hygiene services to senior citizens residing in rural areas, was the recipient of the Jury’s Favorite Prize, which carries a value of EUR10,000 (US $11,000).

Along with assistance from Orange Digital Centers, all winners will have the opportunity to grow their businesses outside of their home nations by utilizing the network of Orange Digital Centers throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.