For the first time, the Orange Summer Challenge, the flagship event of the Orange Digital Center (ODC) network, pitted eleven national winners against each other to determine the most innovative project in Africa and the Middle East at an international awards ceremony held on February 20 in Casablanca, Morocco.

Originally launched in Tunisia in 2011, the event has gradually expanded, and this edition brought together 11 countries from Africa and the Middle East. The competition has won over the hearts of young talent and has become a firm favorite with students who are passionate about new technologies.

This year, the 3-month summer internship in the form of a competition, which is open to students from a variety of disciplines, focused on an ambitious, topical issue: "Artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things: a winning combination to meet the challenges of tomorrow!"

In total, 253 young people were supported throughout the competition, and 46 innovative technological projects addressed current and future challenges related to the environment, health, education, agriculture, etc.

The Orange Summer Challenge went beyond national borders for the first time this year with an international final. The winning teams from the national phase had the opportunity to present their innovative projects to an international audience to win the prestigious title of Grand Winner of the "Orange Summer Challenge 2023" in Africa and the Middle East. The first prize was awarded to the OptiGuide project, supported by the Orange Digital Center Jordan. OptiGuide is a smart bracelet for visually impaired people.

All the deserving teams managed to turn their ideas into reality in record time thanks to personalized coaching, including training and mentoring provided by our partners AWS (Amazon Web Services) and EY (Ernst & Young), as well as expert coaches from Orange Digital Centers' Coding Schools and Solidarity FabLabs.

For more than 13 years, Orange Digital Centers have played a crucial role in increasing digital inclusion through free training and coaching programs to support youth employment and promote innovative technology startups in Africa and the Middle East.