Orange- SL Launches OSVP 2023
By Emmanuel Bangura
On Monday 13th March, 2023, the leading mobile Company Orange-SL officially launched the 5th Edition of the Orange social venture prize (OSVP) at the institution headquarters office in Hill station Office.
Giving the Keynote address during the launch, Head of the Public Relations and Corporate Social Responsibilities, Kamal Omarr Sheriff said that Orange SL is positioned to be the lead digital partner for start-up businesses in Africa and the Middle East. He underscored that some years ago Orange Middle East and Africa initiated the Orange Social Venture price (OSVP) to reward the best technological projects with positive impact and solutions to social challenges mainly in the field of education, health, Agriculture, and other development areas in Africa and Middle East.
The competition, he said, is organized in all 17 Orange affiliates in OMEA, and that the three winners from each of the 17 Countries could get opportunity to compete in a grand International contest, wherein 1 out of 51 contestants will emerge as the winner. The international winner will bag the sum of 25 thousand Euros.
He furthered that the OSVP competition in Sierra Leone started in 2019, three years before joining the OMEA family, and since then up to date, they have successfully held four National OSVP competitions. According to him, the last year OSVP competition through the support of their partners have been able to bring meaning to the innovation and increasing empowerment for young startups, innovators and entrepreneurs in the country.
Out of the 128 applicants, Usman Yaah of Auto Smart Irrigation and Energy emerged as the winner for the last year contest with a grand prize of 100 Millions Leones, and Joseph Koroma emerged as the International OSVP Winner by bagging 25 thousand Euros.
He said in 2021 they introduced an additional prize to increase female participation and promote project offering in technological solution. In this category, he said, Areola Carew emerged as the winner by scooping Le 50Millions Leones to support her safe space project.
He declared the OSVP 2023 open to all applicants and called on all youths across the country to participate in it by submitting their innovative start-up projects in education, healthcare, e-commerce and Agriculture.
He concluded by encouraging women to participate in the women’s competition and submit project on technological solutions to improve their living conditions.
