Orange SL, the leading telecoms company in Sierra Leone has shown commitment in promoting sustainable development in Sierra Leone.
The main aspiration of Orange SL is to ensure that voice, data and Orange money services to reach the last village in Sierra Leone.
Chief Executive officer, Aminata Kane Ndiaye confirmed the above-mentioned strides during a press briefing in Freetown.
“Our task is to make it possible. Our mission is to provide practical step-by-step approach into this task,” Madam Ndiaye assured.
She told journalists that the year, 2020 has been tough and extraordinary in the face of the Corona Virus pandemic.
In spite of the toughness of the year, Orange SL CEO made glittering assurances to Sierra Leoneans.
“We are determined to ensure that our customers continue to enjoy uninterrupted telecommunication services even during these unprecedented times,” she assured.
In order to achieve the objective, Madam Ndiaye assured, the company had been quick to implement robust additional technical measures to maintain high quality of service and to prevent or minimise disruptions to the company’s network for the benefit of Sierra Leoneans.
In the areas of development strides, the globally renowned telecoms company which has stayed in Sierra Leone, only three years, has firmly stamped its innovative footprint in the telecoms industry.
Orange SL has led the demcratisation of the telecoms and the digital revolution in Sierra Leone.
Since the inception of its operations in 2016, the company has invested about US$133M in the areas of network modernisation and expansion, human resources as well as corporate social responsibility.
In the areas of network expansion, Orange SL has constructed 45 new sites in 2017, 42 in 2018 and 55 new sites in 2019.
In only three years, Orange SL has completed an additional total of 142 new sites thereby connecting more than 1,170 new localities.
With thousands of Sierra Leoneans now accessing data, voice and financial services for the first time, the telecoms company is now a proud owner of 391 sites across the country with the widest network coverage across the country covering 74 per cent of the country’s population.
In the area of human resources, Orange SL has invested about US$160M in capacity building through soft skills, technical and leadership trainings.
The commitment of Orange SL to its employees is to nurture talents, ensuring retention and providing exposure opportunities to other Orange SL affiliates.
In the last three years, Orange SL has invested about US$400,000 in the areas of women empowerment, health education and the environment.
Orange SL remains the first mobile network operator in Sierra Leone to contribute to the Government Free Quality Education (FQE) project by pledging US$1.5M in material assistance over a period of five years.
In 2019, Orange SL, in partnership with the Ministry of Information and Communications, and the Ministry of Basic and Senior School Education, launched five projects designed to support the FQE agenda including inter-secondary school debates and competitions, solar kits for pupils, open classroom learning, super coders and hygiene packs for school girls.
Extension of FQE commenced in October 2019 when the telecoms company distributed 2,000 hygiene packs to 20 schools in Western Area Urban and Rural and conducted awareness and sensitisation on sexual and reproductive health.
In readiness for the country’s digital transformation, Orange SL landed the first coding school for young in partnership with the Directorate of Science, Technology and with an Innovation with an estimated cost of Le2.75Bn.
Orange SL also refurbished the administrative building of the Sierra Leone News Agency, a manifestation of their commitment to promote communication and media transparency.
Orange SL continues to care 50 orphans that the company adopted since 2015 in partnership with SOS.
The telecoms company also continues to care for these adopted children until they attain the age of 18yrs.
Orange is also a partner to Thinking Pink Foundation.
The company, on a yearly basis, partners with the Thinking Pink to raise awareness on breast cancer in women through sports and mini-marathon and also provide financial support for the treatment of breast cancer on infected women.
On the area of the environment, Orange SL remains the first telecoms company to secure an Environment Impact Assessment licence from the Environment Protection Agency (EPA).
In recognition of the role Orange SL played towards the protection of the environment, the company received the outstanding humanitarian award by Shout Climate Change in Africa in partnership with EPA.
Yes. Orange SL remains committed to providing the best telecoms services in Sierra Leone ensuring that its customers get an unmatched experience.
As the adage says: ‘HAND GO, HAND CAM,’ Orange SL will continue to give back to Sierra Leone through its robust corporate social responsibility investment.