Wedoany.com Report-Jun 15, Orange Group and Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Group formalized a framework agreement at VivaTech 2025 in Paris, designating Orange as a primary partner in digital initiatives. This pioneering agreement, unique for a telecom operator, seeks to enhance access to digital services, promote innovation, and support environmental sustainability in regions where both entities operate.

Signed by Christel Heydemann, CEO of Orange, Rémy Rioux, CEO of AFD Group, and Françoise Lombard, CEO of Proparco, the three-year partnership fosters digital inclusion and sustainable development. It spans 17 countries in the Africa-Middle East region, alongside Moldova and French overseas territories, providing a structured basis for collaborative projects and expertise exchange to advance global digital progress.

As a multi-service operator, Orange has established 16 Orange Digital Centers and 32 Orange Digital Center Clubs in partnership with universities. These facilities, freely accessible to all, encourage digital inclusion and entrepreneurship among youth. AFD Group collaborates with public authorities, businesses, and civil society to integrate digital solutions that align with Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring technology is open and responsible.

The partnership builds on over 20 years of cooperation, including projects like expanding fixed and mobile telecom networks for Orange subsidiaries in Jordan and Senegal. Additionally, Orange Foundations in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Madagascar, and Tunisia have provided digital skills training, while Orange Digital Centers in Jordan have supported coding programs.

Christel Heydemann, CEO, Orange: “This strategic partnership with AFD Group marks an important milestone in our collaboration. I look forward to continuing this dynamic of international cooperation for a more inclusive and sustainable digital future, reinforcing Orange’s commitment to expanding access to digital technology everywhere we operate.”

Rémy Rioux, CEO, AFD Group: “AFD Group believes that digital technology is a powerful lever for transforming a diverse range of sectors, including public services, education, health, and entrepreneurship. This first strategic partnership with Orange exemplifies this shared ambition to support the emergence of sovereign digital services at a local level by investing in solutions that are innovative, open, and responsible.”

This agreement strengthens the commitment of both organizations to foster accessible, innovative, and sustainable digital ecosystems, leveraging their combined expertise to benefit communities across their operational regions.