Orange has officially inaugurated the Orange Middle East and Africa operational head office in Morocco.

“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,” says Stéphane Richard, chairman and CEO of Orange. “We have always been convinced of the immense potential of this region.

“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.”

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, has said he’d like 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.

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

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 10 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.