Three Francophone African startups have emerged as winners of the latest Orange Summer Challenge, a three-month accelerator program that helps entrepreneurs turn their ideas into viable businesses.
Launched in 2011, the Orange Summer Challenge is the flagship initiative of the Orange Digital Centres network in Africa and the Middle East. It aims to inspire young innovators to develop technology-driven solutions for social good.
The 2025 edition brought together 282 young entrepreneurs from 14 countries, who received intensive training, mentoring, and coaching from experts at Orange, AWS, EY, and NOKIA. Over the course of the program, participants developed 57 startups under the theme Tech4Impact.
At the closing awards ceremony in Casablanca, an international jury and Orange employees across Africa and the Middle East selected the three winning startups:
- 1st Prize: Plastikoo (Madagascar) – Converts plastic waste into sustainable construction materials, tackling pollution while promoting community-driven sustainable development.
- 2nd Prize: MEPS (Tunisia) – Uses IoT technology to transform organic waste into clean biogas and fertilizer, promoting eco-friendly energy solutions.
- 3rd Prize: Leevlong (Cameroon) – Develops a medical device that enables real-time monitoring of vital signs, enhancing healthcare accessibility and efficiency.
The winners will receive financial, technical, and commercial support from Orange Digital Centres and their partners. NOKIA has committed a €40,000 (US$42,000) grant to support the pre-incubation and incubation of the winning projects, while Orange will provide an additional €20,000 (US$21,000) reward to empower young talents behind these impactful innovations.
“For 15 years, the Orange Summer Challenge has nurtured thousands of young entrepreneurs on their journey. This year’s edition once again demonstrates the incredible ability of African and Middle Eastern youth to innovate and tackle pressing societal challenges. Congratulations to the winners and all participants for their dedication and creativity,” said Brelotte Ba, Deputy CEO of Orange Africa and the Middle East.
