By Ragan Conteh
Orange Sierra Lone has hosted the Social Venture price at the British Council, Tower Hill in Freetown.
Chief Executive Officer,Orange Sierra Leone, Madam Aminata Kane stated that, the Orange Social Venture Prize has been in existence for almost nine years now.
The program she noted is geared towards providing a platform for young innovators and creative thinkers in Africa & Middle East.
Madam Kane disclosed to newsmen that, 15 individuals contested in the preliminary stage of the program and that three lucky innovators qualified for the finals.
The contest she reiterated aims at rewarding the best innovative and socially responsible business projects in Africa and the Middle East that provide content services.
Madam Aminata Kane, CEO Orange SL
These business projects she added are reviewed for a chance to receive the Orange Content special prize.
The event she underscored was the ninth 9th edition to be hosted in Sierra Leone and that the winner will eventually participate in the national competition wherein a team of international jurors will award the grand prize to the best winners at both the national and international levels.
The Competition,Madam Kane indicated, is only accessible via the internet and that it is all about a territory or a geographical market containing at least one country from the African continent and the Middle-East regions where Orange group is located and operating.
An independent panel she disclosed, was instituted to choose the best young innovator among the three finalists who were:Aminata F. Kaneh,young innovator with an Agro-Fish Farm Ltd project ,came first with 198 points, Eviteh an inventor,a Bostwana National came second with 196 point and Samuel Kamara a young E-Net came third with 161 points respectively.`
After a thorough scrutiny, she recounted, Aminata F. Kaneh the young innovator of the Agro-Fish Farm Ltd project won the contest and was therefore awarded the grand price of Le10 million, one 15G fly box and the two runners up received Le2.5 million each, and a 4G Mifi.
Mayor Yvonne Aki Sawyer of the Freetown City Council described Orange Sierra Leone as the best GSM Company in terms of the provision of reliable network as well as promoting young innovators not only in Sierra Leone but in Africa as a whole.
She admonished young innovators and the winners to continue to work hard in promoting the innovative and technological aspirations of the country.
Country Director British Council spoke on the relevance of the ceremony and expressed thanks to Orange Sierra Leone for such a venture which according to him aims at accelerating the aims of young people in the country.
She expressed the UK’s Government commitment to partner with Orange Sierra Leone to promote young Sierra Leonean innovators for national development.
Orange Sierra Leone’s Public Relation officer, Mabel Mason who gave the vote of thanks expressed appreciation to the CEO of Orange Sierra Leone for such a laudable venture that aims at promoting young people not only in Sierra Leone but Africa as a whole.
She noted that the event was not a surprise to many as Orange Sierra Leone is always at the forefront in providing tangible development programs aimed at empowering young people.