Today, Orange (www.Orange.com) and the German Cooperation are inaugurating the 13^th “Orange Digital Center”, in Conakry, a digital ecosystem entirely dedicated to the development of digital skills and innovation, attended by the highest political and administrative authorities from Guinea, Representatives of Germany in Guinea, members of the Management and Presidency of the Board of Orange Guinea and Representatives of Orange Middle East and Africa.

Following in the footsteps of Tunisia, Senegal, Ethiopia, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Egypt, Jordan, Madagascar, Morocco, Liberia, and Botswana, it is in Guinea that the 13^th Orange Digital Center in Africa and the Middle East is inaugurated.

Spread over 600 sq. m, it brings together four strategic programs of the Orange group, namely, a coding school, a solidarity FabLab - one of the Orange Foundation's digital manufacturing workshops, and an Orange Fab start-up accelerator, supported by Orange Ventures Middle East and Africa (the investment fund of Orange Group that invests in the most talented startups of Orange Digital Center).

All the programs are provided free-of charge and open to everyone. They range from digital training for young people, 90% of which are practical, guidance for project bearers, start-up acceleration, and investment in these.

Working as a network, the Orange Digital Centers allow experiences and expertise to be shared between countries and offer a simple and inclusive approach to improve young people's employability, encourage innovative entrepreneurship and promote the local digital ecosystem.

Officially opened today, the Orange Digital Center in Guinea is completely operational and is fully functional to host several digital training and events. In addition, Orange Guinea, in partnership with universities, will train students for free and roll out Orange Digital Center Clubs, extensions of the Orange Digital Center within some universities in the regions. Thus, it will complement the education system to give as many people as possible access to new technologies and support them in using these technologies to their full extent.

Orange and the German Development Cooperation are working together as part of a development partnership within the develoPPP program, which the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is implementing on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The goal is to fulfil their shared vision, fostering youth employability while supporting sustainable growth and the country's digital transformation. The program is also working to advance gender equality and inclusion by promoting access for women and girls to ICT jobs.

This initiative is fully in line with our commitment as a responsible operator and focuses on the following sustainable development goals: (SDG 4) quality education, (SDG 5) gender equality, (SDG 8) decent work and economic growth, (SDG 9) industry, innovation, and infrastructure, (SDG 10) reduced inequalities and (SDG 17) partnerships for goals.

Alioune Ndiaye, Chairman of the Board of Orange Middle East and Africa said: “I am honored to be part of the launch of our 13th Orange Digital Center today in Guinea, which is part of a network of 32 Orange Digital Centers that will be deployed not only in Africa and the Middle East, but also in Europe by 2023. The objective is to democratize access to digital technology for young people - with or without qualifications. We want to provide them with the latest technological skills to strengthen their employability and prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow.”

Frank Lütje, Business Manager of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in the Republic of Guinea said: "The future of Guinea is its youth - and digital is the future of the world. This initiative aims to strengthen the access of young people to the labor market as well as to entrepreneurship so that they can fully contribute to a better future for their generations and Guinea as a whole."

Ousmane Boly Traoré, Chief Executive Officer of Orange Guinea said: “It is important for us to ensure that young people are not only competitive in the job market, but that they can also find the resources they need to train in new technologies, to become entrepreneurs and in turn create jobs. The Orange Digital Center is one of the elements of the Orange Group's strategy to enable young people to face this challenge. It is a unique ecosystem dedicated to the development of digital skills and innovation. It's a place to live and think for projects that are bound to grow and go as far as possible.”