Wednesday, Orange and the German Development Cooperation are inaugurating a “Orange Digital Center” in Amman, a digital ecosystem entirely dedicated to the development of digital skills and innovation to train young people in digital technology and to enhance their employability.

The event is attended by the governmental and administrative authorities from Jordan, Representatives of Germany and France in Jordan, GIZ Jordan as being the implementing partner, and members of the board and Orange Group Executive Committee led by its Chairman and CEO Stéphane Richard.

Following in the footsteps of Tunisia, Senegal, Ethiopia, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon and Egypt, it is in Amman, Jordan that this new Orange Digital Center is inaugurated.

Spread over 630 sq. m, the Orange Digital Center in Jordan brings together three 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 (BIG by Orange) start-up accelerator, supported by Orange Ventures Africa, the investment fund.

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

In addition, Orange Jordan and the Ministry of Youth agreed to establish an Orange Digital Center Club in Zarqa Youth Club, as well as another Orange Digital Center Club in cooperation with the German Jordanian University, thus complementing the education system to give as many people as possible access to new technologies and support them in putting these technologies to use them to their full extent.

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.

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 programme is also working to advance gender equality and inclusion by promoting access for women and girls to ICT jobs.

Through digital technology, this programme focuses on the following sustainable development goals in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: (4) quality education, (5) gender equality, (8) decent work and economic growth, (9) industry, innovation and infrastructure, (10) reduced inequalities and (17) partnerships for goals.

Stéphane Richard, Chairman and CEO of Orange, says: “Orange acts as a responsible company across its activities. This sense of responsibility is a central value that has been placed at the heart of the Group’s strategic plan, Engage 2025. To promote digital services as a vector for inclusion and to ensure they are available to the widest possible audience, we aim to open an Orange Digital Center in every country in which we are present by 2025. This ambition clearly demonstrates our determination to harness the positive power of digital innovation.”

Alioune Ndiaye, Chairman and CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa, says: “I am very proud to inaugurate the eight Orange Digital Center today in Amman. This new Orange Digital Center 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. The main objective is to democratize access to digital technology to young people - with or without qualifications - giving them access to the latest technological trends to strengthen their employability and prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow.”

Bernhard Kampmann, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Jordan notes: “The Orange Digital Center contributes to Jordan's digital transformation while creating local employment prospects for young people. It shows Germany’s and Europe’s commitment to promote inclusive and human-centred digitization worldwide.”

Elizabeth Tchoungui, Executive Director of CSR, Diversity and Philanthropy at Orange, Deputy Chair of the Orange Foundation adds: “This great project is a key step in our societal responsibility for digital inclusion, especially for young people and women.

The solidarity Fablab, a key program of the Orange Foundation, is an essential building block of this socially useful action, by allowing beneficiaries without access to digital tools to reconnect with the professional world: the beginning of a beautiful journey that, through the development of technical skills and through the complementarity of the systems deployed, goes up to the creation of businesses.

Thierry Marigny, CEO of Orange Jordan commented: “Being here today is evidence of our commitment towards our role as a responsible digital leader and the Kingdom’s partner in digital transformation. The programs we implement with the support of our partners help us achieve our goals in empowering youth and giving them keys to enhance their digital skills to support their employability chances and contribute to the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Jordan.”

Orange is present in 18 countries in Africa and the Middle East and has more than 130 million customers as of 30 September 2021. With 5.8 billion euros of revenues in 2020, Orange MEA is the first growth area in the Orange group.

Orange Money, its flagship mobile-based money transfer and financial services offer is available in 17 countries and has more than 50 million customers. Orange, multi-services operator, key partner of the digital transformation provides its expertise to support the development of new digital services in Middle East and Africa.