Orange Digital Center Opens In Kinshasa, Congo

Orange has launched the 15th Orange Digital Center (ODC) in Kinshasa Congo, an ecosystem entirely dedicated to the development of digital skills and innovation.

Following in the footsteps of Tunisia, Senegal, Ethiopia, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Egypt, Jordan, Madagascar, Morocco, Liberia, Botswana, Guinea, Sierra Leone, it is in Democratic Republic of Congo that the 15th Orange Digital Center in Africa and the Middle East is inaugurated.

With a floor space spreading over 590 sq. m, it brings together four strategic programs of the Orange group, namely: A coding school (Digital Academy), a solidarity FabLab – a digital manufacturing workshops, an Orange Fab start-up accelerator, as well as the Orange Ventures Middle East and Africa, the investment fund of Orange Group that invests in the most talented startups.

According to Orange, all the above programs are free and open to all. They range from practical digital training for young people, to support for project leaders, to accelerating and investing in start-ups.

Jérôme Hénique, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa said, “I am very pleased to be present for the launch of our 15th Orange Digital Center in Kinshasa, which is part of a network of 25 Orange Digital Centers that will be deployed not only in Africa and the Middle East, but also in Europe by 2023. The objective is to democratize access to digital technology for young people – with or without qualifications. We want them to be part of the digital transformation of their country by encouraging them to become digital entrepreneurs, to create local content and digital services, and thus develop the digital economy of the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

Working as a network, the Orange Digital Centers allow experiences and expertise to be shared between countries and offer a simple and inclusive approach to improve young people’s employability, encourage innovative entrepreneurship and promote the local digital ecosystem.

The Orange Digital Center in Kinshasa is already operational to host several digital trainings and events; at this time, more than 1,700 learners have been trained. In addition, Orange DRC, in partnership with universities, will train students for free and roll out Orange Digital Center Clubs, extensions of the Orange Digital Center within some universities in the regions. Thus, it will complete the education system to give as many people as possible access to new technologies and support them in using these technologies to their full extent. The cities selected for these deployments are Kananga, Lubumbashi, and Matadi in the second half of 2023.