OSVP Recognizes Top African and Middle Eastern Startups in Social Impact and Sustainability

The winners of the 14^th edition of OSVP, which recognizes and supports startups whose technological solutions have a positive social impact in Africa and the Middle East, were announced at the international ceremony. The event took place at the Royal Mansour in Casablanca and was attended by many prominent guests, including Christel Heydemann, CEO of the Orange Group, Jérôme Hénique, CEO of Orange Africa and Middle East, as well as Younes Sekkouri, Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills.

Since 2011, OSVP has been at the heart of Orange’s strategy to contribute to the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and the inclusive growth of the countries where the Group operates in Africa and the Middle East. Most of the proposed solutions address issues critical to community development, such as education, health, agriculture, the environment, and e-commerce.

5 of the 1,600 candidates from 17 countries won awards at the international ceremony. This was the first time in OSVP’s history that the ceremony was held in Morocco.

For the International Grand Prize, which recognizes the top three technology-based projects with a social or environmental impact, the winners are:

• 1^st prize of €25,000: SAVEY (Morocco) – SAVEY is a digital and logistics solution to combat food waste. It is a real-time gateway between unsold inventory from manufacturers, big box stores, corner stores and consumer demand.
• 2^nd prize of €15,000: WeFix (Tunisia) – WeFix offers a digital solution to help individuals and businesses sustainably manage their electronics and appliances from start to finish.
• 3^rd prize of €10,000: Cocoa Shield (Côte d’Ivoire) – Cocoa Shield provides a solution that combines artificial intelligence with Internet of Things (IoT) devices to monitor and track cocoa crops and combat the diseases that affect them.

For the special prizes, the winners are:

• For the €20,000 International Women’s Prize, which is awarded to a startup whose high-impact project is led by a woman: MyTindy (Morocco) – MyTindy is an online platform that connects artisans with customers around the world, enabling them to sell their products directly and autonomously.
• For the €10,000 Coup de Cœur prize, which is awarded to a project that stands out for its originality: Intella (Egypt) – Intella offers a solution that bridges the gap between global advances in artificial intelligence and the Arabic-speaking world through one of the world’s most accurate multi-dialect Arabic speech-to-text transcription engines.

Since the program’s inception, nearly 15,000 applications have been received and more than 500 entrepreneurs have been supported and rewarded, including about a hundred internationally.

With a focus on high-impact, sustainable innovation, the 14^th edition certainly delivered on its promises and highlighted the growing contribution of women to the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Africa and the Middle East. OSVP winners in the 17 countries will receive support from Orange Digital Centers in Africa, the Middle East and Europe, with hopes of taking their business beyond the borders of their respective countries.