By Foday Moriba Conteh
On Friday 26th June 2020 Orange-SL held a virtual Press Briefing on with Members of the Fourth Estate. The meeting was predicated on the company’s usual second quarter meeting with the Press.
Addressing newsmen from both the print and electronic media, the Chief Executive Officer of Orange-SL, Aminata Kane Ndiaye, expressed delight for all those who are participating and sharing in their 2020 journey.
“That many of you have left your busy schedules to be part of this Virtual Press Briefing serves as a reminder to us all how important telecommunications service is especially during this time of COVID-19,” she expressed gratitude.
The CEO stated that Orange-SL is committed to support and promote sustainable development in the country adding how they want voice, data and Orangemoney services to reach the last village in Mama Salone. “Our task is to make it possible. Our mission is to provide practical step by step approach into achieving this task,” she eloquently underscored.
Orange SL’s charismatic and result oriented CEO noted that this year has been tough and extraordinary but maintained that as a company, they are determined to ensure their customers continue to enjoy uninterrupted telecommunication services even during unprecedented times.
She revealed how that was why they were very quick to implement robust additional technical measures to maintain high quality of service and to prevent or minimize disruptions to their Network for the benefit of Sierra Leoneans.
She said other members of staff will brief newsmen about the strides they have made so far this year and thanked all for their contributions towards nation building.
Giving an update of the activities that the company has undertaken so far, the Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Desmond Spaine underscored ,during the virtual meeting, that the company has been present in Sierra Leone only for a period of three years but yet it has already firmly stamped its innovative footprint on the telecoms sector and leading in the democratization of telecoms and the digital revolution in Sierra Leone.
He said since the inception of Orange-SL operations in 2016 the company has invested about $133 million dollars in the areas of networking, modernization and expansion of human resources as well as in rolling out its Corporate Social Responsibility.
Another official of the Orange-SL, while giving a synopsis of activities and achievements of the company within the quarter under review, informed that in the area of network expansion Orange has constructed 45 new sites in 2017 and 42 in 2018 and 55 new sites in 2019, adding that in only three years Orange-SL has completed an additional total of 142 new sites, thereby connecting more than 1,170 new localities, with thousands of Sierra Leoneans now accessing data, voice and financial services for the first time.
He said this makes Orange a proud owner of 391 sites across the widest network coverage in Sierra Leone covering about 74% of the country’s population. “In respect of human resources, Orange has invested about $16 million dollars in the areas of capacity building, through soft skills technical and leadership trainings,” he revealed furthering that Orange-SL is committed to nurturing talents .
In the last three years, according to him, the company has invested about $400,000 dollars mainly in the areas of women empowerment, health, education and the environment. Orange-SL still remains the first operator in Sierra Leone to contribute to the Government’s free quality education (FQE) agenda by pledging the sum of $1.5 million in material assistance over a period of five years.
In 2019, he continued, Orange in partnership with the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) launched a five year project designed to support the Government’s Free Quality Education Agenda including Inter-Secondary School Debate & Quiz Competitions, provided solar kits for school children, organized an Open Class Room, Super Coders Academy and offered hygiene packs for girls.
Dilating on the execution of the Free Quality Education Project, he said, it commenced in October 2019 and Orange-Sl distributed 2,000 hygiene packs to 20 schools in the Western urban and rural areas as well as conducting awareness and sensitization on sexual reproductive health, pointing out that in readiness of the country’s digital transformation Orange-SL launched the first coding school programme for young people in the country in partnership with the Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation with over an estimated cost of about 2.75 Billion Leones.
He stated that as part of the company’s manifestation of their commitment to promote communications and media transparency, Orange-SL refurnished the SLENA building, adding that Orange continues to care for 50 Ebola Orphans the company adopted since 2015 in partnership with SOS underscoring how Orange is committed to care for them till they are 18 years of age.
It was also noted that Orange-SL also partnered with Thinking Pink Foundation to raise awareness on breast cancer on women through sports, a mini marathon and also provided financial support for the treatment of breast cancer to infected women.
In the area of working around environmental issues, he said Orange-SL remains the first company to secure an environmental impact assessment licenses from EPA-SL, in recognition of the role the company has played in the area of environment. He proudly said the company was a recipient of the outstanding humanitarian award given by Shout Climate Change Africa in partnership with EPA.
“I want to assure you that Orange-SL remains committed to providing the best telecoms services in Sierra Leone always ensuring its customers get unmatched experiences with the saying: “Hand Go Hand Cam; Orange will continue to give back to the country through its robust CSR portfolio”.
