Orange (www.Orange.com) and the CNED (National Distance Learning Centre) (www.CNED.fr) have announced a partnership to facilitate access to educational content on smartphones in Africa. The announcement was made during the Global Partnership for Education Summit in Dakar (Senegal), which was attended by Emmanuel Macron, President of France, Jean-Michel Blanquer, French Minister of National Education, Stéphane Richard, Chairman and CEO of Orange, and various representatives of education and training in Africa.

Hundreds of thousands of African students have difficulties accessing high-quality educational content. To address this, Orange is launching an offer in Africa to provide access to educational content from the best international universities and training centres.

In the fields of education and training, Orange wants to allow everyone - student, teacher or individual - to acquire new knowledge and skills in the best conditions, from a university, a training centre, or at home.

Orange’s direct contribution to this ambitious project, which is essential for development in Africa, is based on its infrastructures and networks which allow for the distribution of this content to people in the 19 countries in Africa where it operates, wherever they are located.

In order to meet this objective, Orange and the CNED have established this partnership to distribute educational content. With over 29,000 people registered internationally and an excellent reputation across the world, the CNED confirms its position as a leader in Europe and French-speaking Africa for distance learning. It now has a large database of content, covering primary and secondary education, higher education and vocational training.

The CNED’s content will be distributed in French in ebook format through the MondoCNED application. The content can then be downloaded onto smartphones where it can be read on any screen size and can even be available offline. This partnership is already available in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in the coming months will be introduced to other countries (Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, etc.).

“Of all the digital revolutions, higher education and vocational training is one of the most strategic for Africa, as the benefits of digital technology can help train millions of managers which this continent needs to independently take charge of its development in the long term. This partnership with the CNED confirms the Orange Group’s commitment to this major ambition to provide everyone with access to education through digital services”, states Bruno Mettling, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa.

“These new ways of learning on the move reflect the development of the digital ecosystem. This opportunity for easy, rapid and widespread deployment is the first step of an ambitious strategic plan and a major driver of our development overseas. Educating, promoting career interests, encouraging, supporting, giving confidence, providing hope and cooperation... There is no better summary for this partnership which is based on one of the CNED’s core values: social value. If a person reaches their education or training target, society as a whole benefits,” affirms Michel Reverchon-Billot, CEO of the CNED.

In addition to the CNED, other partners will be able to offer their educational content to Orange customers, notably French online universities, French-speaking universities and African universities which already produce their own educational digital resources.

This content will be available at attractive prices on smartphone, which has become the primary means for internet access in Africa. The downloaded ebooks can then be read freely without needing an internet connection.