Orange presents at the European Development Days 2018 - 5th &6th of June in Brussels

The European Development Days presents a unique opportunity to showcase Orange’s work in enabling digital transformation in the Middle East & Africa region.

Each year, the European Commission organises the European Development Days (EDDs). This 2-day event gathers stakeholders from all over the world to debate and exchange on international cooperation and development policies. It will take place from the 5th to the 6th of June in Brussels.

This year, the theme is “Women and girls at the forefront of sustainable development: protect, empower, and invest”. This twelfth edition will focus, in particular, on bridging the gender gap and the empowerment of women, which are crucial to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Digital technologies can make an important contribution towards sustainable development. In fact, the digital transformation of the African continent is a fast-growing source of new opportunities for women. However, the digital gender gap remains significant: in Sub-Saharan Africa, women are 34% less likely to use mobile internet than men . ICT are a key way to enhancing women’s conditions and fostering digital inclusion. The EDDs are a great opportunity to highlight the role that digital companies play in this respect.

Orange is participating actively in the discussion by co-organising with the GSMA and AfD (Agence française de Développement) a debate on how digital transformation represents an opportunity for women in Africa. It will take place on the 6th of June from 10:45 to 12:00. This discussion will bring together Nafy Diagne, Founder of a Senegalese e-commerce platform called “AwaleBiz”; Pauline Koelbl, Managing Director of the African Innovation Foundation; Tidhar Wald, Head of Government Affairs at Better than cash Alliance; and Afke Schaart, VP and Head of Europe at GSMA. The debate will be moderated by Julia Nietsch, ICT 4D partnerships at Orange.

^{(1) GSMA Mobile Gender Gap report 2018
(2) Technologies de l’information et de la communication}

Speakers