MWC AFRICA, KIGALI: Deputy CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa Brelotte Ba (pictured) put the spotlight on the urgency of investing in digital infrastructure to boost inland connectivity, identifying a broadband-based multi-services approach as key to economic and social prosperity.

“There are many challenges,” said Ba in a keynote speech. One of them, he believes, is the usage gap of more than 500 million people that remained unconnected to mobile networks despite living within coverage areas. “There is only one answer to this: investment”, he added.

Ba noted the operator today had more than 141 million people in 18 markets registered to its broadband services.

Despite this achievement, he named skills gap and affordability as core issues demanding resolution to achieve a secure economy that will benefit various sectors including B2B, healthcare and education.

Ba highlighted Orange’s commitment to investing more than €1 billion every year in Africa and the Middle East, an investment he claimed has covered the operator’s multi-services approach and partnerships.

Multi-services projects include access to electricity (Orange solar kit), digital schools, online platform for healthcare (Dabadoc) and digital trainings.

The latter had seen 700.000 participants signing up to its coding training program, the company’s initiative to accelerate start-up companies and progress capital ventures.

Orange’s executive also opened up on ongoing projects to tackle key barriers such as affordability, naming a partnership with Google in introducing a low-cost device, the Sanza Touch.

He stated the company’s multi-services approach, which spans from business, education to mining, would promise “prosperity to Africa”.