Young Batswana have yet again been given an opportunity to raise the nation’s blue-and-black colours through a Corporate Social Responsibility Division initiative from Orange by entering the second edition of the Orange African Social Venture.
“The African Social Venture Prize will be awarded to three entrepreneurs who offer solutions that use ICT in innovative ways to address the needs of the market in Africa. The projects may range from e-health and mobile banking to digital and mobile applications in essential areas like education and agriculture,” says a press release from Orange Botswana.
In last year’s initial venture, which attracted over 600 applicants, the first prize of Ôé¼25000 went to a Nigerian Horticulture Remote Innovation system.
In second place was a Ugandan company, which used the internet to help grow small businesses through on-line interaction with larger scale businesses and they walked away with Ôé¼15000.
In third place was a company from Ivory coast which created an e-commerce platform which specialised in offering ways to ”professionalize” the cottage industries which earned them Ôé¼10000.
Some 58 applicants from Batswana have been registered for this year’s competition.
“Orange has once again pledged to offer financial assistance and expertise to young companies that put forward innovative projects with a significant social impact. This project is aimed at promoting social innovation for development using information and communication technologies,” according to the media release.
The competition is open to all Batswana over the age of 21. Students and other entrepreneurs can enter. However, the business must not be over three years old.
All applications will be reviewed by a panel of judges comprised of researchers and professionals in the ICT innovation and development in Africa sector. The prize giving will be at the International congress of Telecommunications which is set to be held in Cape Town, South Africa on November 14th 2012.
The deadline for the submission for the Orange Social Venture Prize is September 21st 2012 and the winner stands a chance to walk away with up to P250 000 and professional mentorship in ICT from Orange and various fields of expertise.
