Orange Sierra Leone celebrated its annual Engagement Day on Thursday, December 5, 2024, at the Methodist Girls’ High School on Wilberforce in Freetown, as part of its company-wide initiative to give back to society. This event was organized under the theme of career development and education, with a focus on inspiring young girls to explore opportunities in technology and telecommunications.
The Methodist Girls’ High School was selected as the host institution following an internal voting process where Orange employees chose from a list of secondary schools previously engaged by the Orange Foundation. The event provided pupils with insights into Orange’s operations and career paths across various departments, including Strategy, Transformation, Marketing, IT, Customer Experience, Public Relations, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Speaking during the event, Ghina Wansa, Head of Strategy, Transformation, and Performance Management at OSL’s Human Resources Department, highlighted the significance of the day:
“At Orange, we believe in giving back to the community. Engagement Day is about connecting with pupils to explore career opportunities and inspire them to consider paths in technology and telecommunications. We want to encourage young girls to see the vast potential in these fields and understand what it takes to work at a company like Orange.”
She revealed that the event aimed to equip pupils with knowledge about careers beyond traditional roles. Wansa emphasized the importance of exposing students to the possibilities in technology and the fast-moving telecom sector, which is often underrepresented in career choices for young girls.
“Many pupils don’t fully grasp what working in the real world entails. Our goal is to open their eyes to diverse career paths beyond the conventional ones like engineering and law, encouraging them to embrace opportunities in fields that are shaping the future,” she added.
This event is one of many initiatives by Orange Sierra Leone aimed at bridging the gap between education and employment. While Methodist Girls’ High School served as the host school this year’s engagement day, Wansa hinted at plans to expand the program to other schools, amplifying its impact across the country.
Finnah Mariama Stevens, Head of Coding at the Orange Digital Center and Manager at the Orange Foundation, explained said that during the engagement the company introduced to the pupils services offered by the Orange Digital Center, a training hub dedicated to equipping young people with practical skills in technology and innovation.
Stevens highlighted the center’s free programs, which include courses in software programming, web and mobile app development, and fabrication workshops aimed at fostering entrepreneurship.
“The Orange Digital Center is a space where young people can explore their ingenuity, develop tech skills, and even start entrepreneurial ventures,” Stevens explained. “All our training programs are free, and we’re expanding to open two new centers in Bo and Makeni to ensure broader access across Sierra Leone.”
In addition to technical training, Stevens emphasized the Orange Foundation’s humanitarian focus, encouraging pupils to engage in community service to cultivate empathy and compassion.
Stevens urged pupils to research job trends and consider future workforce demands while planning their careers:
“Being in school is a great start, but it’s important to think ahead. Research the market, look at job trends, and position yourself for opportunities in emerging fields,” she advised.
She concluded by reiterating that upcoming centers in Bo and Makeni will allow more youths outside Freetown to access training opportunities, reflecting Orange’s commitment to scaling up its impact and reaching underserved communities.
Francess Kamara, pupils of the Methodist Girls High School, extended heartfelt appreciation on behalf of her colleagues to Orange Sierra Leone for their commitment to empowering young people and making us believe in our potential to contribute to national development, adding that the engagement day was not just informative but truly life-changing for many of us as it has served as an eye-opening experience that has inspired me and my fellow pupils to think deeply about our future career paths.
Before this event, I had a limited understanding of the opportunities available in the technology and telecommunications industries.
Hearing from Finnah Mariama Stevens and other representatives from Orange about the various fields within their company and the work of the Orange Digital Center made me realize that there are so many possibilities beyond the traditional careers we usually hear about.
What stood out most to me was the encouragement to follow our passions, not to fear making mistakes, and to think ahead about the future of work. This advice has given me the confidence to dream big and work hard to achieve my goals.
Additionally, the day featured a series of motivational talks by Orange staff from various departments, offering pupils a closer look at the corporate world and the skills required to thrive in it of which pupils also had the opportunity to ask questions about Orange and their career paths.
Orange Sierra Leone’s Engagement Day reflects the company’s broader commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, fostering a future where more young girls can envision and pursue careers in STEM and beyond.
CREDIT: Foday Moriba Conteh