In 2023, Orange launched Lead the Future, a new business model driven by responsibility and efficiency. This approach is redefining the boundaries between economic performance and social impact, with visible results multiplying year after year across its markets, especially in Africa.

On June 5, 2025, Orange Middle East and Africa (OMEA) marked the first anniversary of Orange Engage for Change. This program of social and environmental initiatives showcases OMEA's positive impact actions while allowing employees to get directly involved and make a tangible difference in communities and regions. This innovative program, which highlights OMEA’s initiatives through the Orange Foundation, Orange Digital Centers, Orange Villages, and other projects, was simultaneously rolled out across its 17 markets, a first for the continent. The pioneering initiative engages every employee on key societal and environmental issues in the countries where the group operates. Since its 2024 launch, 5,676 employees, nearly a third of the total workforce, have taken part in on-the-ground actions. They have shared their experience, skills, and support in education, digital access, the environment, and social solidarity. Each OMEA employee received three workdays per year from their local entity for community missions. These missions were grouped into over 280 engagement opportunities listed on the program's dedicated platform.

At the 2024 launch, Asma Ennaifer, Executive Director of CSR, ODC and Communications for Orange Middle East and Africa, explained that Orange Engage for Change was born from a desire to empower employees. She emphasized that every initiative and action taken by employees demonstrates their collective ability to bring about significant change. Ennaifer expressed pride in seeing this commitment materialize and witness the positive impact it generates.

The education sector proved the most dynamic, offering 123 engagement opportunities to staff, with 54 specifically dedicated to digital skills development. Regarding OMEA’s investment in skills development, the telecom company highlighted digital inclusion as a powerful lever for reducing inequality and empowering individuals. Orange stated its belief that digital technology should foster equal opportunity, not division, making it a core priority within Orange Engage for Change, its solidarity engagement program. The company affirmed that acting for digital inclusion means acting concretely for shared, sustainable progress, fully aligning with its mission as a responsible operator. Meanwhile, the environmental field provided 53 engagement opportunities for Orange employees in Africa and the Middle East.

Local Initiatives, Global Impact

The success of Orange Engage for Change heavily relies on its local roots. Orange missions are tailored to needs identified by subsidiaries and partner non-governmental organizations, ensuring maximum relevance. In Côte d’Ivoire, 150 volunteers collaborated with a local partner to reforest 30 hectares in the Azaguié forest. In Mali, 350 volunteers planted 1,000 trees and supported efforts to create an urban park for children. In Madagascar, 240 volunteers raised climate change awareness among 1,200 students across each of the country's 24 regions. Overall, the actions span a wide range of fields, including education, culture, digital inclusion, environment, and health, illustrating the program’s rich and broad impact. This diversity is part of a broader vision: to use digital technology as a tool for inclusion and to promote societal responsibility at every level.

Millions of Lives Touched

Orange’s social initiatives across Africa and the Middle East impacted the lives of over 18 million people, either directly or indirectly, in just one year. Through hundreds of missions, thousands of children and youth attended coding workshops at Orange Digital Centers. Project leaders gained skills through mentorship sessions, and hundreds of rural women participated in skills training workshops in digital homes. Urban sanitation drives included trash collection, gutter cleaning, electronic waste recycling, construction of modern school toilets, installation of community drinking water points, and distribution of medications in detention centers.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, for example, the Kisenso General Referral Hospital in Kinshasa received water and electricity storage equipment to improve working conditions for medical staff and patient care. In Guinea, Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Cameroon, digital kits were donated to schools in rural or underprivileged areas to improve students' access to richer learning resources. In Botswana, Madagascar, and Guinea-Bissau, several initiatives were launched at Digital Homes to help women develop entrepreneurial skills and build greater autonomy.

Hélène Ndogmo, a housekeeper and member of the Widows’ Association of Douala 5th, was among the women who discovered digital crafts through workshops organized by Orange Cameroon. She learned to design creations using a drawing program and produce them with a laser cutting machine. Ndogmo expressed great pride in her training, recalling that she previously thought computers were only for college students, not for older mothers like herself.

In the Central African Republic, Noelle Jessica Gandou, a senior-year student in the G2 track at the Technical High School of Bangui, benefited from a sanitation operation led by Orange Centrafrique. After the campaign, which involved removing paper and plastic waste, clearing brush, maintaining green spaces, and cleaning up areas to combat malaria and harmful insects, the teenager expressed her delight. She looked forward to seeing their playground clean and gathering area beautified with flowers, anticipating a lovely view in a few months.

Transformed Employees

One of the key anticipated effects of this program is the transformation observed among the employees themselves. Taking part in field missions provided them with a new perspective on their role in the company and strengthened their sense of social purpose.

Jacqueline Diomandé, an Orange Côte d’Ivoire customer, views Orange Engage for Change as essential. She called it a fantastic initiative, noting the difficulty for office workers to find time to get out and give back to humanity, which everyday habits often inadvertently harm.

In Madagascar, where 563 employees participated, Domoina Randriamananoro, PMO for Technical Logistics, joined colleagues in preparing and delivering care packages to children in hospitals. She explained her involvement as a way to find personal joy through helping and showing solidarity. Randriamananoro spoke of the pleasure of giving and receiving satisfaction in return, expressing pride in making her small contribution and working alongside people who share the same values in the company's varied and far-reaching humanitarian work.

Prisca Mihanta Randrianarisoa, an advertising manager at Orange Madagascar, participated in a digital education workshop for students at a public school in Ambohidratrimo. She happily recounted teaching them how to use tablets, which she believes will benefit their studies and prepare them for the future.

Omar Al-Majali of Orange Jordan added that participating in the reforestation was a unique experience. He noted that it strengthened the bond among colleagues and deepened their commitment to the environment.

Toward a Scaling Up of the Program

Buoyed by the success of this second edition, Orange plans to expand and intensify the program. The goal is to involve one out of every two employees in Orange Engage for Change, increasing team participation in high-impact societal actions. With this new social engagement initiative, OMEA is no longer simply supporting causes; it is actively engaging its people in a process of social transformation. This model is built on the belief that large corporations have a vital role to play in building more just and resilient societies. However, one of the main challenges facing OMEA as it scales up the initiative will be ensuring that the supported projects continue to thrive after employee involvement ends.

The United Nations regards the Internet as a fundamental service, on par with electricity and clean drinking water. Aware of its role in Africa’s economic and social development, a call for widespread mobilization has been issued to boost investment.

Africa's internet penetration is growing at twice the global average, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Since 2005, the continent has seen an average annual growth rate of 16.7%, compared to the global average of 8%. Although this pace has slowed over the past decade to 10.7% annually versus 6.1% worldwide, Africa continues its sustained digital expansion. This rapid growth underscores a strong desire for digital integration, despite persistent deep divides compared to the rest of the world.

Source: ITU

In 2024, only 38% of the African population was connected to the internet, significantly less than the global average of 68%. This makes Africa the least connected region globally, emphasizing the structural and economic hurdles many African countries must overcome to ensure widespread and equitable access to digital technologies.

Gender Disparity

A notable inequality in Africa is the digital gender divide. In 2024, 43% of men used the internet compared to only 31% of women. This imbalance results in a Gender Parity Score (GPS) of 0.72, well below the global average of 0.94.

Source: ITU

While this trend shows improvement—the GPS has risen from 0.69 to 0.72 over the past five years—it remains insufficient to quickly reverse the structural underrepresentation of women in the digital sphere.

Age Divide

The digital divide in Africa also extends to generations. In 2024, 53% of young Africans aged 15 to 24 were connected to the internet, compared to 34% of the older population.

Source: ITU

This generational gap is more pronounced than the global average, though it is slowly narrowing. The ITU views young people's embrace of digital tools as a major asset for the continent's digital transformation. However, it also highlights the urgent need to expand access to older and marginalized populations to achieve truly universal digital inclusion.

Geographic Disparities

Internet connection distribution also reveals significant geographical fragmentation. In 2024, 57% of urban residents in Africa used the internet, whereas only 23% in rural areas had access. This 34-percentage point gap is comparable to the global average gap of about 35 points between urban (83%) and rural (48%) environments.

Source: ITU

Data from several African countries indicates a clear trend: higher overall internet penetration rates tend to correlate with smaller gaps between rural and urban areas. This suggests that targeted and sustained progress in infrastructure and public policy can reduce geographical inequalities.

A Call to Action

Given these pervasive disparities, it is clear that Africa cannot bridge its digital divide without collective and coordinated action. Investing in infrastructure, especially in rural and remote areas, is crucial for more equitable access to digital tools. Similarly, inclusive public policies that consider gender, age, and location must be systematically implemented to foster a fairer digital society.

Governments, telecom operators, NGOs, and development partners play a fundamental role in addressing the continent's many digital divides. While Africa continues to demonstrate above-average growth in internet access, this momentum requires structural measures to ensure it benefits all segments of the population without exception. In an increasingly digital world, digital exclusion equates to a form of social marginalization. Therefore, accelerating efforts for digital inclusion at all levels is imperative for Africa to fully capitalize on the opportunities presented by digital transformation.

Muriel EDJO