By Ibrahim Babatunde Sesay

Sierra Leone’s biggest and most reliable leading telecommunications company in the country, Orange Sierra Leone, last Friday 9th August, 2024 awarded the two winners of its Sixth Edition of ‘Orange Social Venture Prize (OSVP)’ amounting to NLe320,000 held at the Brookfields Hotel Conference Hall on Jomo Kenyatta Road, Freetown.

Abdul Karim Sesay, Innovator of Emotion by Altruistech, bagged the General Grand Prize of NLe200, 000 while Monica Jackson, Innovator of EDUCUBE (SL), won the Tech Queen grand prize of NLe120, 000 respectively.

The unique qualities of the winners of the two separate awards among other competitors that touched the hearts of the Judges were that Abdul Karim Sesay invented the use of Emotion by Altruistech for guiding counseling of people suffering from mental health problems like anxiety, stress, hallucinations amongst others, while Monica Jackson innovated a digital education platform where students in both JSS and SSS can acquire access to digital education.

In his statement, the Chief Executive Officer of Orange Sierra Leone, Sekou Amadou Bah, disclosed that the OSVP awards’ initiative started in 2019 in Sierra Leone with the aim of providing facilities to innovators for the expansion of their businesses.

The CEO said Orange is positioned to be the leader of the digital transformation landscape in Sierra Leone in particular and Africa in general.

As the digital revolution continues in the country, Sekou Amadou Bah said Orange through Orange Foundation has established four digital centers across the country.

The CEO said the digital centers are established to train the youth and women in digital learning, adding that more than 3,000 students have been trained and that 75% of that number is already employed in various institutions.

"Orange is driven by passion to use technology to solve the social problems and improve the lives of people as witnessed by the past awardees making positive impacts in communities," the CEO averred.

Representative of the Ministry of Communications, Technology and Innovation, Madam Kumba Musa, underscored the importance of Orange Annual Innovation Awards in fostering solutions to challenges facing communities.

She said OSVP is not just a competition but a movement that has over the years championed innovations and entrepreneurship, noting that it has also provided the platform for ideas fostering solutions that address some of the most pressing challenges faced in communities.

According to Madam Kumba Musa, “Our youths are the architects of the future and it is our responsibility to provide them with the tools, resources and opportunities they need to succeed. OSVP is to complement the efforts of the

Ministry to foster an environment where innovations and entrepreneurship thrive for young people emerging to drive the progress the people need in society."

In his statement after he emerged as the General Grand Prize Winner, Abdul Karim Sesay expressed gratitude to Orange (SL) for the platform accorded to him to participate in the OSVP competition.

“I feel proud to emerge as the winner of the OSVP 2024 Edition” he enthused.

The winner explained how he has crafted his idea into a business model to help reduce mental health problems in Sierra Leone.

Orange rewards the best technological and innovative ideas that will help to benefit Sierra Leoneans, Africa and the Middle East.

The Orange Social Venture Prize (OSVP) is an annual programme organized by Orange Group to showcase innovative young minds by providing financial support as start-ups and putting expertise in the management of businesses using Information Communication Technologies (ICT) through its partner, Innovation Sierra Leone.

Orange (SL) has never ceased to ensure that it supports and complements Government’s efforts in many sectors including the education and health sectors.