range Côte d’Ivoire, an operator committed to digital inclusion and gender equality in the workplace, announced on Friday, March 3, during an official ceremony, the launch of the "Hello Women" program, through the "Amazones" project, aimed at improving the representation of women in technical and digital professions. The ceremony was held at the group's headquarters, in the presence of Ms. Nafy Silué, Deputy CEO of Orange Côte d'Ivoire, and Mr. Datté Kouassi, Director of Human Resources at Orange Côte d'Ivoire.
Since 2019, the Orange Group has been implementing a diversity policy applicable to all its entities and subsidiaries internationally. This policy is based on several major areas, including the representation of women in management positions and the feminization of technical and digital professions. Launched in 2020 to address this second issue, the "Hello Women" program aims to raise awareness, identify, attract, and retain women in technical and digital professions, particularly in areas such as data, AI, cybersecurity, cloud computing, IT systems, and networks.
"We are delighted to implement this program, which embodies our commitment to equality and diversity, both internally with our employees and externally with our partners and stakeholders. In 2023, we estimate that 14.26% of women will be working in innovation and technology professions at Orange Côte d'Ivoire. We want to reach 25% by 2025, and to do so, we intend to strengthen our inclusion policy by creating new opportunities for women in technical and digital professions," explains Ms. Nafy Silué, Deputy CEO of Orange Côte d'Ivoire.
Reflecting this commitment by Orange Côte d'Ivoire, the "Amazone" project is based on the second pillar of the "Hello Women" program, which focuses on identifying and recruiting 20 female students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields for annual internships in technical departments within the Orange Group. During their internships, the young women will benefit from master classes and a mentoring program, in addition to being provided with work equipment.
"As a committed advocate for equal opportunities and the leading employer in the telecommunications sector in Côte d'Ivoire, Orange Côte d'Ivoire gives young talent in tech and digital, particularly young women, the opportunity to develop their skills in an environment that encourages their progress. We expect the 20 interns recruited for this edition to make the most of the resources and tools made available to them in order to reap the full benefits of this experience," concludes Mr. Datté Kouassi, Director of Human Resources at Orange Côte d'Ivoire.
This program, carried out in partnership with the NGO DynExcAfrica, which is committed to providing access to education and digital inclusion for young girls, is also a way for Orange Côte d'Ivoire to identify talent that will join its workforce at the end of these internships. The second part of the program will focus on identifying and recruiting women who are graduates or currently working in STEM fields.