Kribi: Orange Cameroun commissions digital centre to boost youth employment.

It was inaugurated Friday May 24 in the presence of local and administrative authorities of the city of Kribi. The facility is the 6^th of its kind to be set up by the Orange Foundation.

While inaugurating the structure, authorities said FabLap Solidaire is a digital fabrication space dedicated to young people with a passion to create and prototype with digital equipment such as 3D printers, milling machines and laser cutters.

Authorities said through the launch of the centre, Orange Cameroun is thus reaffirming its commitment to putting digital technology at the service of all.

Located in the Talla neighbourhood in the heart of the seaside resort city of Kribi, the infrastructure deployed by Orange Cameroun via its Foundation, complements the development offer of the existing training centres, offering tailor-made solutions and innovative e-education programmes.

The facility, officials have said, will help to alleviate the problem of unemployment among young people aged 15 to 24 in Kribi.

Through an alternative training pathway with skills that can be put to good use by recruiters, the lab is synonymous with new opportunities for thousands of young people who have dropped out of school and have no qualifications and often lack access to new digital technologies.

Designed by the Orange Foundation in partnership with the Foundation for Environment and Development in Cameroon, FEDEC, at a cost of 38 million FCFA, the centre in Kribi, is designed to strengthen young people's digital skills in a collaborative creative environment, enabling them to design produce objects, contribute to the development and fulfilment of their dreams.

It will enable vulnerable young people to train and become self-sufficient. It will also help to instill an entrepreneurial culture and facilitate their socio-professional integration.

The Director General of Orange Cameroun, who doubles as Board Chairman of Orange Foundation, Patrick Benon, said: “Orange Cameroun supports great adventures driven by digital technology. More than just a telecoms operator, we provide solutions that have an impact on our environment”. 

He added that: “As a partner to public authorities and stakeholders, we are on board the sustainable human and economic development. With the RadioLab in Kribi, Orange Cameroun follows in the footsteps of WouriLab and YansokiLab in Douala, OngolaFabLab and the mobile Fablab in Yaounde. The SahelLab recently inaugurated at the University of Ngaoundéré, confirms our status as a major player in the emergence of innovative entrepreneurship”.

FabLabs (manufacturing laboratories), which originated in the United States in 1990, can be found all over the world. They bring together all kinds of high-tech tools to take ideas from the drawing board to the finished product. 

They offer the opportunity to experiment, learn, manufacture and share know-how. The facility remains a good recipe for developing new skills and finding a job more easily, into the job market.

“The originality of our approach at the Orange Foundation lies in the solidarity dimension that we want to give to the FabLaps by welcoming young people free of charge to help them learn new digital practices and develop their skills,” explained Benon.

“In terms of investment, 320 million FCFA has been committed by our company’s Foundation to support our partners in setting up Fablab spaces. In terms of results, we have more than 1,500 young people trained, 75 projects incubated, 30 jobs created, 10 projects financially supported, 01 international competition prize, and over 12,000 visitors to the Fablab spaces to date,” added the official.

This story first published in The Guardian Post issue No3127 of Friday May 31, 2024