Young Batswana get Rewarded for Their Positive Entrepreneurial Spirit Through the Orange Social Venture Prize
Orange Botswana celebrates the winners of the 12th Orange Social Venture Prize Orange Botswana aims to foster a culture of innovative thinking with a solution-oriented approach that fosters Botswana’s socioeconomic progress Course Guide, Airpay and She Speaks Power emerge victorious at Orange Social Venture Prize 2022 award ceremony
Highlighting the opportunities Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can bring to communities and championing active support for local talent across the board, Orange Botswana held the 12th edition of the Orange Social Venture Prize, followed by an award ceremony that was held on the 21st of October 2022 at Orange Botswana Head Office-rooftop.
Established in 2011, the platform rewards innovative projects based on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) which aim to improve the living conditions of people in Africa and the Middle East. It is designed to reward the best innovative and socially responsible business projects in fields such as education, healthcare, agriculture, mobile payments and sustainable development.
The Orange Social Venture Prize is open to all students, employees and entrepreneurs over the age of 21 with projects or start-ups under three years old. This year three (3) Batswana walked away with the prestige and prize money allocated to Botswana entrants in the first phase of the competition.
In 1st place was Tefo Matladiile of Course Guide who took home P50,000 in prize money.
Course Guide is a zero rated career guidance platform which features different tertiary institutions, free scholarships opportunities and a connection to career counsellors. Course Guide is available on the Google play store, to date it has amassed over 2000 users from over 20 different countries. Its main purpose is to be digitally inclusive of everyone, especially students in communities that cannot easily access these services due various social constraints.
Coming in 2nd , Mangwa Bakae of Airpay who won P30,000 in prize money.
Airpay is a service that enables users to make payments using airtime. It’s available via USSD and as an app. Users can pay for goods and services using airtime from any mobile service provider.
In 3rd place was Poloko Banda of She Speaks Power scooping P20,000 in prize money.
“She Speaks Power” is a nonprofit making Organization founded by a young Motswana woman. It aims to empowering vulnerable women through knowledge and awareness. “She Speaks Power” is a mobile application that takes a combined approach to virtual safe space by connecting survivors with a full range of certified experienced gender based violence service providers and mental health care professionals. We are addressing the lack of coordination in the many efforts directed to eliminating gender based violence.
Said Orange Botswana CEO, Ms. Nene Maiga, “The Orange Social Venture projects are of paramount importance to us as they have proven to enhance the living conditions not only in Botswana but in Africa and the Middle East as well, one of the several reasons why we at Orange Botswana hold the initiative close to our heart. It is about celebrating the talent across Botswana and continuing to commit ourselves to growing and nurturing the youth and developing an entrepreneurial spirit across the Nation. This platform serves as a catalyst for encouraging innovation amongst Batswana and rewards projects based on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).”