Through POESAM, Orange is reaffirming its commitment to entrepreneurs who make a positive impact in Africa and the Middle East.

The 13th Orange Social Venture Awards in Africa and the Middle East opened for applications on Monday 13 March 2023. Applicants from the 17 countries covered by the Orange footprint have until 21 May 2023 to submit their project on the website https://POESAM.orange.com.

Since 2011, the POESAM prize has been awarded to innovative start-up projects based on information and communication technologies that have a positive social impact in Africa and the Middle East in the areas of education, health, e-commerce and agriculture, or that contribute to achieving the sustainable development goals.

Through this award, Orange, as a committed operator, aims to contribute to socio-economic development, support social and environmental innovation and encourage entrepreneurship in Africa and the Middle East.

The competition has two stages:

- A national application collection stage, between March and May 2023, in Orange's 17 subsidiaries in Africa and the Middle East. At the end of this application phase, a jury made up of representatives from the Orange start-up ecosystem will meet in each subsidiary to select 3 national winners (per subsidiary) who will automatically qualify for the second phase of the competition, the international stage;

• - An international stage, where each subsidiary will be represented by the projects of its 3 winners, who will be assessed by an evaluation committee made up of Group employees. After the evaluation, 10 finalists will be selected. A final jury of African tech influencers will select the 3 winners of the POESAM International Grand Prix in October/November 2023. They will receive:
  -25 thousand euros for 000th place;
  -1.15€ for 000th place;
  -€2.10 for 000th place.
  Since equal opportunities are a fundamental aspect of Orange policy, the International Women's Prize will be awarded for the fourth year running. This prize will be awarded to a woman who offers a technological solution to improve women's living conditions (women's independence, job creation or preservation, gender data collection, digital and financial inclusion, etc.). The winner will receive €3.20.

Since the launch of POESAM in 2011, Orange is proud to have awarded nearly €600,000 in prize money to more than 30 winners and provided funds for more than 90 entrepreneurs to receive support from Orange experts or their partners. Through POESAM, Orange reaffirms its commitment to entrepreneurs who make a positive impact in Africa and the Middle East.

Get more information and apply HERE.