As a way of keeping government compliance in the COVID-19 pandemic, Sierra Leone leading telecom operator Orange-SL has on Friday June 26, 2020, held a virtual media conference to update members of the public on its operations.
Speaking to the press, the Chief Executive Officer of Orange-SL, Aminata Kane Ndiaye, expressed delight for all those who participated and sharing in their 2020 journey.
“This Virtual Press Briefing serves as a reminder to us all how important telecommunications service is especially during this time of COVID-19,” she said.
CEO Ndiaye said that Orange-SL is committed to supporting and promoting sustainable development in Sierra Leone, adding that they want voice, data and Orange-money services to reach the last village in Sierra Leone. “Our task is to make it possible. Our mission is to provide practical step by step approach into achieving this task,” she asserted.
She further said that 2020 has been an extraordinarily tough year for Orange-SL, but maintained that the Company is determined to ensure that its customers continue to enjoy uninterrupted telecommunication services.
She added that they were very quick to implement robust additional technical measures to maintain high quality service and to prevent or minimize disruptions to their Network for the benefit of Sierra Leoneans.
In his statements, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Desmond Spaine, underscored the fact that the company has been present in Sierra Leone only for a period of three years, but in that short time stamped its innovative footprint on the telecoms sector, thus leading in the democratization of telecoms and the digital revolution in Sierra Leone.
He said that since the inception of Orange-SL operations in 2016, the company has invested about US$133 million dollars in the areas of networking, modernization and expansion of human resources as well as in rolling out its Corporate Social Responsibility.
The Head of Network, Abdoulaye Ndiaye, also informed that in the area of network expansion, Orange has constructed 45 new sites in 2017, and 42 in 2018, and 55 new sites in 2019, adding that in only three years Orange-SL has completed an additional total of 142 new sites, thereby connecting more than 1,170 new localities, with thousands of Sierra Leoneans now accessing data, voice and financial services for the first time.
He said that Orange owns 391 sites across Sierra Leone, and is the widest network covering about 74% of the country’s population.
“In respect of human resources, Orange has invested about $16 million dollars in the areas of capacity building, through soft skills technical and leadership trainings,” he said, adding that Orange-SL is committed to nurturing talents.
“The last three years the company has invested about US$400,000 dollars mainly in the areas of women empowerment, health, education and the environment. Orange-SL still remains the first operator in Sierra Leone to contribute to the Government’s free quality education (FQE) agenda by pledging the sum of US$1.5 million in material assistance over a period of five years,” he added.
By Desmond Tunde Coker
30/6/2020. ISSUE NO.: 7855