Orange opens its new Orange Middle East and Africa headquarters in Morocco, confirming its desire to strengthen its presence in Africa

The new headquarters is located in Casablanca Finance City Tower (CFC) in the heart of Casablanca. The building meets the most recent standards with international “LEED Gold” certification from the World Green Building Council. With 900 m2 over two floors, the Orange Middle East and Africa head office is at the cutting edge of technology with video-conference and telepresence rooms enabling the teams to remain connected to other countries in the region, as well as a Social Hub that supervises and monitors the digital activity of Orange and the industry in general in Africa and the Middle East in real-time.

"I am very proud to inaugurate alongside Stephane Richard and in the presence of all the members of the Orange Group's Executive Committee this new head office in Casablanca. It sends a highly symbolic message, a turning point in the history of the Group that provides further proof of our desire to be even closer to our customers and to make Orange MEA the preferred multi-services operator for people in Africa and the Middle East," says Alioune Ndiaye, CEO Orange Middle East and Africa.

"Orange is one of the rare international groups to have made the strategic choice, 20 years ago, to seek to develop in Africa and the Middle East. We have always been convinced of the immense potential of this continent. In many ways, it can be seen as a model for digital transformation; mobile money is a great example of this. One of the key success factors behind new services is to develop them in Africa so that they are adapted to specific local requirements and so meet the needs of our customers. That is why we have decided to organise the management of our business in Africa and the Middle East from within the region directly from the African continent," adds Stéphane Richard, Chairman and CEO of Orange.

With an average annual growth rate of 6%, Orange MEA has demonstrated that its economic and financial model is robust, making it the leading region in terms of growth in the Orange Group. Starting in 2015, Orange chose to give its subsidiary, Orange MEA, more autonomy in order to grow its business in the region.

Alioune Ndiaye, appointed to head the subsidiary in May 2018, wants to see a strong local foothold, which is essential to finding relevant responses that meet the needs of the African people. He has since made a series of appointments of senior managers from countries in Africa and the Middle East.

In all countries where the Group operates in the region, the 18,000 employees contribute to local social and economic development. Orange helps to create growth both through its business activities as an operator and its social and environmental actions. Its activities contribute significantly to GDP across its footprint: 8% in Cameroon, 8.2% in Guinea, 11% in Côte d'Ivoire and 11.2% in Senegal ¹.

Every year, Orange invests 1 billion euros in Africa and the Middle East in order to further improve the connectivity and performance of its networks.

Africa and the Middle East a driver of growth in the Engage 2025 plan

The new, hi-tech headquarters of Orange Middle East and Africa reflects Orange's aim of being the leader in its markets by being closer to its customers. Orange plans to reinforce its multi-services strategy so that diversified services represent 20% of the business by the end of the Engage 2025 plan period. In terms of financial services, Orange Money will achieve revenue of about 900 million euros and, at the same time, the Group will continue to develop content, e-health and energy offers.

^{Orange is present in 18 countries in Africa and the Middle East where it had 125 million customers on 30 October 2019. With sales revenue of €5.2 billion in 2018, this area is a strategic priority for the Group. Orange Money, its mobile-based money transfer and financial services offer is available in 17 countries and has 45 million customers. Orange, a multi-services operator and leading partner in digital transformation, brings to bear its expertise to support the development of new digital services in Africa and the Middle East.
One African in ten is a customer of Orange Middle East and Africa and one African in thirty is a customer for Orange Middle East and Africa's banking and financial services. Furthermore, almost 30% of the Orange Group's 4G customers reside in Africa and the Middle East.}

 ^{1 Figures from a study conducted by the agency Goodwill-management on the socio-economic footprint achieved in the countries.}