Jubilation swept through Orange headquarters in Freetown when two cheques of NLe150, 000 (one hundred and fifty thousand Leones) was offered to Osman Yaah and Adeola Carew, winners for this year’s OSVP ( Orange Social Venture Price) competition.
Smiles, handshakes and hugs were hallmarks of a completion that went on for almost two hours. The winners deams have come true, thanks to Orange Sierra Leone. The contest was two-fold: the Grand draw and the Orange Queen Tech. The competition exists in 17 African countries and the Middle East. The Grand Prize winner, Yaah got the lion share as he took home NLe100, 000 (one hundred thousand Leones) while the Orange Queen Tech winner, Carew got NLe50, 000 (fifty thousand Leones).
Both are Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) in their business enterprises. Yaah is the CEO for Auto-Smart Irrigation and Energy System while Carew is CEO for Safe Space Sierra Leone. As the Grand Prize winner, Yaah will represent Sierra Leone at the global level in months ahead. The Auto-Smart enterprise provides water to farmers during the dries so that they can carry on their farming throughout the year. Safe Space enterprise ensures that women access various health services including reporting gender-based violence.
The cash won from Orange Sierra Leone would be used to grow their businesses in the country’s interest. The two victors emerged from eight finalists (competitors) who are not losers but winners. The Grand Prize was contested by five CEOs, and the Orange Queen Tech Prize competed for by three business owners.
Each made presentation to make their enterprise worthy for the award.
In his presentation, the Auto-Smart CEO informed the audience that his vision is to see a Sierra Leone that is self-sufficient in food and to export to other countries by providing water for farmers at a minimal cost.
In shor demonstration before the audience, the Grand Prize winner convinced the judges and audience that one could water their crops regardless of distance.
“One can stay in America, and water his crops. The Auto-Smart irrigation initiative is to drive hunger away in Sierra Leone by ensuring 50-150% agricultural productivity,” Yaah assured.
Sierra Leone, he went on, imported 40 tons of rice worth US$250m every year, and a bag of 50Kg of rice stood at NLe500 (almost US$50). To him, the trend needs to be reversed.
With an improved irrigation system, it is hoped that food productivity would be enhanced.
“What about we wake up in the morning, and Europe stops to export food to us. What can we do,” Yaah wonders.
The Auto-Smart CEO, Carew too holds similar vision for the country. She envisions a Sierra Leone where women are safe by breaking the silence and seeking help. About 1.5 million people have signed up for the Safe Space services by digital means. “The app through which the women can access the service is designed for women by women,” she said.
The Safe Space is a One-Stop shop through which women can get to different health experts. Carew also pointed out a rolling statistics of 61, 000 people in Sierra Leone living with AIDS making Safe Space highly relevant to health which reflects in national development.
With 50.2% of women constituting the country’s workforce, it is therefore important for women to easily access services that can improve their health and retain them in the world of work.
Thursday’s competition was the fourth in a row after it started in 2019. It was a hot contest presided over by a panel of five eminent judges with Joseph Brima as the lead judge. The panelists have excelled in their own fields, and are men of integrity.
In his address before the competition, CEO, Orange Sierra Leone, Sekou Amadu Bah described OSVP as a technological project to respond to such social challenges as health, agriculture, education among others in the company’s areas of operation.
The initiative, he Said, is now 12 years, and has directly impacted lives of the people. “We believe in the philosophy of philanthropy,” he said, “as Orange Sierra Leone is poised to take the lead in ICT development.”
The host, Haja Isatu Bah is a Grand Prize winner for 2021 under the ‘Uman4U man’ enterprise of which she is the CEO. Isatu is passionate for feminism, and has recently completed a fellowship at the Princeton University in the United States.