Orange, top telecom operator with operations across Africa, is running a challenge dubbed African Social Venture Prize that will have the winners offered startup capitals of up to US$31,200.
This is second edition of the competition. Orange says the 2012 edition will tackle social innovation aspects targeted at supporting development through deployment of ICT solutions.
The company further says it intends to use the platform to offers expertise and financial backing to the up-and-coming companies.
Orange, the competition’s major sponsor, says African Social Venture prize 2012 will award three startups that would have the best providing solutions that uses ICT in innovative approach to fulfil the needs of people in African continent in areas of health care, agriculture, banking services and education.
The will offer expertise to management of the growing small and midsize companies ($12.500 to $31,200) in addition to a six-month support from entrepreneurial and ICT experts.
Only registered companies that have been in existence for less than 3 years at the time of the competition may participate at no cost and with no restriction on nationality.
Last year’s edition attracted more than 600 applicants who tackled the theme of “Reflecting the Strong Entrepreneurial Spirit and the High Potential of the Telecommunications Services in Africa.”
2011’s top three winners did the following projects, Nigeria’s Horticultural Tele-Irrigation that uses mobile Technology to support horticulturalists, Uganda’s Agasha Business Network, a project that aims to use e-commerce platform to promote small African businesses market across the world and Ivory Coast’s Kachile e-commerce start-up for African craft products.
The projects for submission must be designed to be used in at least one of the African countries in which Orange operates, and must use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in an innovative way to help improve the living standards of the population in these countries.
In Africa, Orange operates in Tunisia, Kenya,Uganda,Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Egypt ,Cameroon, Mauritius,Mali ,Senegal and Equatorial Guinea.
Applications are ongoing at Starafrica.com until September 21 2012.
