Joseph Koroma, a Sierra Leonean innovator has won the 12th edition of the Orange Social Venture Prize (OSVP) competition held during the first World Mobile Congress in Kigali, Rwanda for an innovative project known as Life-Blood Sierra Leone.
17 countries in Africa and the Middle East where Orange Group is operating participated in the 2022 edition of OSVP in which Orange Sierra Leone’s finalist clinched the first international grand prize award.
As a result of his victory, Koroma has brought home 25, 000 Euros (over Le500m) in Leone currency. He topped 1, 370 competitors from 17 countries in Africa and the Middle East. The Sierra Leonean competitor emerged from among the first five winners before he was eventually selected as the Global grand prize winner.
Koroma who was one of the eight finalists in the national category flew the banners of Orange Sierra Leone and the country’s flag high in a foreign land. He came second, and took home Le100m in September, this year in the local competition.
In an exclusive interview, Joseph said: “In my country, mortality rate is high, and the main factor is the limited availability of blood banks. So, I hope that this project will address the problem of acute shortage of blood in the country’s health care system.” The grand prize will be used to boost his business for the benefit of all Sierra Leoneans.
At the National level, Orange Sierra Leone has been organising the OSVP competition in which local entrepreneurs have participated. The 4th edition was held on 1st September, 2022 in which eight finalists competed for a whooping sum of Le150m (one hundred and fifty million Leones).
During the award of the prizes, Head of Public Relations at Orange Sierra Leone, Annie Wonnie Katta said Orange was positioned to be the lead digital partner for start-ups in Africa and the Middle East.
She further stated that was why Orange Middle East and Africa initiated OSVP some 12 years ago to reward the best technological projects with positive impact and solution to social changes mainly in areas of education, health, agriculture, mobile payments or sustainable development in Africa and the Middle East.
The competition is held every year to sharpen entrepreneurial skills of the youth so that they can contribute to national and international development. Among other services, Lifeblood is designed to increase public awareness about safe blood services, increase the level of voluntary blood donation in the population.
It also seeks to improve the operating efficiency of facilities administering blood services as well as the National Safe Blood service. The innovation is admirable especially in a country where people are hesitant and apprehensive to donate blood when urgently needed. This is the first time for Orange Sierra Leone to take part in such competition , and same time emerge as winner.
Apart from the international platform, OSVP competition is conducted locally. The competitor who takes first position usually gets Le100m (one hundred million Leones), and the one who emerges second takes home Le50m (fifty million Leones). The first and second local winner takes part in the international draw.
Orange Sierra Leone hosted the local chapter of the OSVP competition in September, this year in Freetown in which
eight competitors from different walks of life took part. Two competitors emerged as winners taking home Le150m (one hundred and fifty million Leones) to help them in their business ventures.
It is now close to five years since Orange Sierra Leone commenced the OSVP initiative in the country. The initiatives have improved innovative business ventures, and the lives of young entrepreneurs. During the September local OSVP competition, Isata Bah who took the audience through, is the Chief Executive Officer, Uman-4-U-Man, and OSVP winner herself. She has gained a strong foothold in the business industry owing to OSVP boost.
Other young entrepreneurs are also coming up to take part in next year’s competition. Since 2016 when Orange Sierra Leone gained a foothold in the country, the leading telecoms service provider has invested in local businesses to add to the country’s economic viability.
It is about creating opportunities for the young so that they can become self-employed and reliant. Apart from its investments in business sector, Orange Sierra Leone has also immensely contributed to the socio-economic development of Sierra Leone.
It has spent huge resources in areas of education, health and the economy. Following the launch of the Free Quality Education project, Orange Sierra Leone threw its weight behind government by pledging about US$1.5m. It was in realisation of this project that the company constructed five pre-schools in Sierra Leone to take care of the education of the young. Communities without pre-schools were key targets.
The first was built in Mayakie village in Kambia district in the North, the second in Kogbortuma in Moyamba district in the South, the third in Gombahun village in Pujehun district also in the South, the fourth in Fore Road Lokomasama village in PortLoko district and the fifth in Tihun Sogbeni in the Southern region.
The schools are state of the art and well-furnished for the comfort of the kids. The company aims at catching the children young for a better tomorrow.