By Janet A. Sesay
In a colourful occasion yesterday, Sierra Leone’s leading GSM operator, Orange Sierra Leone (OSL) looks back at achievements recorded in the past year. The interacting session held annually is a platform for the company to inform various customers about their operations.
Delivery the key note address on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer, Alpha Bundu said OSL was considered a role model and a household name in leading digitization with an improved voice and data package with a better outreach.
He said he would confidently say with a shared opinion that communication is a need that has become a necessity.
Mr. Bundu further stated that, as a company, they were not perfect but for are committed to making sure that products and services offered meet the needs of their customers in Sierra Leone.
He said together everyone could create news as the platform for interaction is easily accessible. He said whether it was traditional or social media, the sharing of information has become faster and relevant.
He further that social media has become an integral part of our daily lives and has also transformed business interaction with customers.
“It was through this platforms that demonstrates the value the media would create for them to reach their customers in every community, hear from their customers, reach where they are not present, share with them what they do not hear, know how their customers feel by building with them a quick and easy way to connect with their customers that ultimately help them create a relationship of trust, loyalty and transparency,” he said.
Mr Bundu also went on to state that because the media have been their strong pillar and an ally of support and a trusted partner overtime.
The value, he said, they wanted to create was one where the media would highlight where they deliver exceptional experience adding it was a demonstration of their commitment to trust, transparency and loyalty.
“We believe that the right of our customers become the duty of the company by making sure that every voice of a customer that carries an Orange SIM is valued” Bundu stated.
Touching on corporate highlights, Kamal Abass said Orange OSL was committed to protecting the environment to make it safe for human existence. Protection of the environment, he said, was nursed out of the awareness of the activities of the company’s impact.
“The purpose of their environmental protection scheme is to ensure reduction of their carbon footprint and applies to the management, employees and Orange Sierra Leone Service providers,” Mr Abass said adding that EIA license compliance rate stands at 99 percent and is internationally certified by MAIG compliant with international standard.
He said OSL was also in partnership with Youth Alliance and community stakeholders and assisted in planting of 3,000 (three thousand) trees at Mortomeh mudslide site during the EMS week celebration in May, 2023.
The company, he said, had received several accolades with OSL’s CEO receiving a prestigious award for being an environmental and carbon champion, 2023 organised by Shout Climate Change Africa.
To reduce CO2 Emissions, he said, their RER ratio was at 20 percent and their target is to achieve 23 percent by end of 2023, and their target is to achieve 30 percent RER ratio by 2025 as a first step towards achieving zero carbon by 2040.
He ended his presentation that OSL adapts clean energy and migrated +78 percent of their sites to solar energy and they are committed to do +80 percent by the end of 2023.
Making her presentation on Orange Money, Isha Sesay said in their Orange money system, they had the digital loan which was in partnership with Empire Solution and that Le1bn has been disbursed so far.
She said they also had international remittances coming in dealing with Moneygram, RIA, Remity, Western Union among others in the case of overseas Orange Money outgoing partners with BnB Will send money to African countries.
She said the revamped Orange Money for all deals with Orange Money app and other network customers could now register and use orange money apps. Isha Sesay also said they had launched Orange Money card where customers could use the card to cash in and out and also make payments.
The Self-Reversal scheme, she said, had been launched to keep customers’ money safe. With this system in place, she said, customers could get back their money when sent to the wrong person.
Other major success were also counted by Pricillia Okechukwu, head of Orange Digital Centre.