Foday Moriba Conteh
In a vibrant celebration of youth-led innovation and digital empowerment, Orange Sierra Leone, one of the country’s leading telecommunications companies, successfully concluded the 7th Edition of its Orange Social Venture Prize (OSVP) on Friday, July 25, 2025. The prestigious grand pitch event was held at the Orange Digital Centre on Hill Station in Freetown and showcased the ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit of Sierra Leone’s brightest innovators.
The event brought together eight national finalists competing across two categories for a combined prize pool exceeding NLe 300,000. These finalists presented their tech-based solutions to pressing societal challenges, ranging from access to education and business support for MSMEs, to innovations in finance and healthcare.
Following a dynamic series of live pitches, two standout winners emerged: Edward Kamara, founder of MiBuks, emerged as the National Prize Winner, receiving a cash award of NLe 200,000 for his impactful digital platform designed to empower Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to track sales, expenses and inventory; generate receipts and invoices and build a digital credit profile from their transaction history. Richlyn Kainekay Turay, representing Smart College, was crowned the Tech Queen Female Category Winner, receiving NLe 120,000 in recognition of her innovative solution geared toward streamlining student access to higher education services through technology.
Delivering his address, Sekou Amadou Bah, Chief Executive Officer of Orange Sierra Leone, hailed the OSVP as a transformative initiative and reaffirmed Orange’s long-term commitment to youth empowerment, innovation and digital inclusion.
“Since launching OSVP in Sierra Leone in 2019, Orange has remained committed to empowering digital entrepreneurs with the tools they need to succeed, including funding, mentorship and platforms to scale their ventures.” He noted that Orange’s involvement goes beyond telecommunications it is about being a catalyst for national development.
Sekou Amadou Bah highlighted Orange’s investments in infrastructure, innovation and inclusion, particularly through the Orange Digital Centers (ODCs) established in six locations nationwide. Notably, three ODCs are dedicated to empowering women.
“In just three years, we’ve trained over 5,000 young Sierra Leoneans, 47% of whom are women with a 15% job integration rate,” Sekou Amadou Bah revealed. He emphasized that those efforts are not merely Corporate Social Responsibility but part of a strategic vision to build a future-proof digital economy for Sierra Leone.
