Hesham Mahran, CEO of Orange Egypt, announced during his participation in the Global Entrepreneurship Week events in Cairo that the Orange Group intends to allocate investments of up to 25 million euros to support startups in African markets, with a central focus on the Egyptian market. Mahran explained that supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, especially those developing solutions in the fields of artificial intelligence and modern technologies, represents a key driver for advancing innovation and economic growth in the region.
The Role of Business Accelerators and Artificial Intelligence
Mahran pointed out that the real challenge facing the growth of the entrepreneurship ecosystem is not limited to generating ideas, but extends to identifying the effective needs of startups and providing the tools and expertise that enable them to accelerate market access and develop their businesses. He emphasized that business accelerators specializing in artificial intelligence technologies play a fundamental role in testing products and software solutions and adapting them to customer requirements, which shortens the time required to transition from the innovation stage to commercial operation.
Building Skills and Systemic Integration
Mahran stressed that building technology companies capable of scaling requires investing in human capital and developing digital skills in parallel with financial investment. He cited Egyptian entrepreneurial experiences that have succeeded in growing, such as Swvl, noting that it embodies the ability of local talent to build promising business models and expand them regionally. He added that the next phase requires the integration of efforts between technology companies, educational institutions, and investors to ensure that ideas and research are transformed into products with tangible economic value.
Why This Trend Matters to the Tech Sector
This trend reflects the growing interest of telecommunications operators and major technology groups in investing directly in local innovation ecosystems rather than just providing traditional infrastructure services. Financial incentives and AI accelerators are a critical element in helping startups in Africa and the Middle East overcome early-stage funding obstacles, which contributes to building local technical solutions capable of competing and meeting the needs of regional markets.