Following the 3rd International Orange Summer Challenge (OSC) Award Ceremony, held on February 4, 2026, Orange Middle East and Africa (OMEA) (www.Orange.com) awarded three innovative start-ups developed by young entrepreneurs from Africa and the Middle East, within the Orange Digital Center network.
As a flagship program of the Orange Digital Centers network, Orange Summer Challenge is an international competition that supports young talents each year in turning their ideas into technology-based solutions with strong social and environmental impact.
For the 2025 edition, 369 young innovators from 14 countries benefited from three months of intensive support provided by Orange MEA teams and Orange Digital Centers, through training, mentoring, coaching and access to technological expertise. With the support of key partners, Amazon Web Services, Meta, UNDP, The Hashgraph Association and Dar Blockchain, 56 start-up projects were developed under the Startup4Good theme, addressing key sectors such as environment, health, education and agriculture.
This momentum reflects Orange’s ambition to position the Orange Digital Centers as open and inclusive innovation platforms. As stated by Ben Cheick Haidara, Deputy CEO and Chief Operations Officer of Orange Middle East and Africa: “For more than 16 years, Orange Summer Challenge has been a true catalyst for talent and innovation. More than competition, this program enables young entrepreneurs to develop technology-based solutions, notably leveraging artificial intelligence, to address societal and environmental challenges in a very concrete way. Through the Orange Digital Centers, Orange is firmly committed to supporting youth and fostering high-impact innovation across Africa and the Middle East.
The first prize was awarded to SafeGuard (Jordan) for its smart device designed to prevent workplace accidents through intelligent risk detection.
The second prize went to GasNika (Madagascar) for its biogas production solution from waste, with organic fertilizer valorization.
The third prize was awarded to DripIn (Tunisia) for its AI-powered connected solution to detect water leaks and optimize consumption.
The winning start-ups will benefit from financial, technical and business support provided by the Orange Digital Centers and Orange MEA, including a total grant of €50,000 to accelerate their development.
Through the Orange Digital Centers, Orange Middle East and Africa reaffirm its commitment to technological entrepreneurship, youth employability and impact-driven innovation, contributing to sustainable development and digital inclusion across the region.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Orange Middle East and Africa.
About Orange Middle East and Africa (OMEA):
Orange is present in 18 countries in Africa and the Middle East and has 161 million customers at 31 December 2024. With 7.7 billion euros of revenues in 2024, Orange MEA is the first growth area in the Orange group. Orange Money, its flagship mobile-based money transfer and financial services offer is available in 17 countries and has more than 100 million customers. Orange, multi-services operator, key partner of the digital transformation provides its expertise to support the development of new digital services in Africa and the Middle East.
