French Tech, Orange Business Services hold Digital Skills Development event in Johannesburg

The French Tech ecosystem, along with IT and communications service provider, Orange Business Services, held a Digital Skills event in Johannesburg on 15 September. The event aimed to addressed issues around skills development pertaining to all things digital.

“I am delighted to see that the French Tech Hub in Cape Town is expanding its activities in Johannesburg thanks to a dynamic community of French and South African entrepreneurs who take advantage of a leading innovation ecosystem in Africa,” explains the ambassador of France in SA, Elisabeth Barbier, in a press release to Ventureburn.

“This success will also encourage business and youth talent exchanges between France and South Africa, in innovation and especially in the digital industry.”

Those assisting with the event included business incubators and accelerators, such as Methys Labs and Digital Lab Africa, coding school Wethinkcode, and the French South African Institute of Technology.

French Tech has already initiated many digital skills development initiatives within Cape Town through the French Tech Cape Town Hub, which launched in early 2015.

“Since the launch of the French Tech in South Africa, Orange Business Services has worked closely with the community to support the development of digital technologies and business opportunities in innovation,” notes the country manager of Orange Business Services, Yannick Decaux.

“Orange is present in 20 African countries and provides business network services in all 54 African countries. More than one in ten Africans are Orange customers,” he adds.

Selected startups at the French Tech and Orange Business Services “Digital Skills” development program will head to Paris in October 2016.

Decaux also explained that the company is “investing for the long term and plan to continue playing a major role in the digital transformation of the region.”

“We have been working very hard over the past few months to create a team to lead the initiatives of the French Tech in South Africa and to develop our capacity from the core 6-year-old Methys Labs structure. Today we are pleased to announce two milestones,” said co-founder and CEO of Methys and lead ambassador, Christoph Viarnaud.

“Firstly, we received a record number of South African applications for French Tech Tickets, and we’ll take two South African start-ups to Paris in October,” continued Viarnaud.

“Secondly our Cape Town Labs will open in November, an additional 400 square meters office facility dedicated to digital innovation in the Century City precinct to welcome tens of start-up and digital entrepreneurs in our incubation and acceleration program. We are in discussion with SEDA to develop an incubation partnership,” concluded Viarnaud.

Featured image: George M. Groutas via Flickr