By: Orange SL Communication Unit
Orange Sierra Leone has officially launched the 7th edition of the Orange Social Venture Prize (OSVP) in Sierra Leone and the 15th edition across Africa and the Middle East. The competition aims to support social innovation and encourage local entrepreneurship.
The OSVP competition opens for applications on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, and will accept submissions until May 18, 2025. Applicants from the 17 Orange affiliates across Africa and the Middle East, including Sierra Leone, are encouraged to apply for both the National and International competitions via the official website.
Through the OSVP, Orange Sierra Leone, as a responsible corporate and social investor, seeks to contribute to human capital development, support local social and environmental innovations, and foster entrepreneurship in Sierra Leone. Since its inception in 2019, the OSVP has recognised innovative projects in fields such as education, healthcare, e-commerce, agriculture, and those that contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals using digital technology.
Applications will be accepted from March 11 to May 18, 2025, for the National and Women’s categories.
After the application phase, a national pitch competition will be held in August 2025 to select the National and Women’s category winners.
Prizes for the National Stage:
National Winner: NLe 200,000
Women’s Winner: NLe 120,000
Winners from the National and Women’s categories in each of the 17 Orange affiliates will automatically progress to the international stage.
Ten finalists will be selected for the international phase, where a final jury of African tech influencers will choose the top 3 winners of the OSVP International Grand Prize in October/November 2025.
Prizes for the International Stage:
1st place: €25,000
2nd place: €15,000
3rd place: €10,000
Women’s International Winner: €20,000 (Awarded for the fifth consecutive year to a woman offering technological solutions to improve women’s living conditions, including independence, job creation, gender data collection, and digital inclusion).
Orange Sierra Leone is one of the leading telecommunications operators in Sierra Leone, licensed by the National Communication Authority. The company is committed to meeting the socio-economic needs of society. Its strategic objective is to become a responsible corporate social investor and to enhance the lives of people in Sierra Leone through exceptional digital experiences.
Orange operates in 18 countries across Africa and the Middle East, serving over 143 million customers as of December 31, 2022. With revenues of €6.9 billion in 2022, Orange MEA is the group’s primary growth area. Orange Money, its flagship mobile-based money transfer and financial services offering, is available in 17 countries with over 80 million customers.