ORANGE CAMEROON
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“ We are aiming to be almost 90 % digital by the end of 2020 ”
— Abdallah Nassar , Director of Engineering and Network Development , Orange
Over the last decade , the Orange Organization ’ s success has engendered huge respect among Cameroonians and provided a model for sustainability ; Nassar is proud that only around one percent of his 500 to 600 direct employees are expatriates . “ People here are very dedicated and have an open mindset ,” he adds . Demographically and virtually , Orange Cameroon is on firm foundations for virtual growth .
He describes the company as the “ one of the largest operators in Cameroon ”, although almost in the same breath says he sees itself as equal with the undisclosed front-runner . He tells me that Africans typically own two or three SIM cards , so achieving a dominant market share isn ’ t straight forward . Cameroon also has some distinctive dynamics given its Francophone-Anglophone mix . Nevertheless , it has the biggest network “ in terms of the number of sites , towers and coverage ,” he said , with its customer base hovering between 8.5 and 9 million .
We start our discussion on digitalisation , a vast area which he likens to a spider ’ s web , and discuss some of the
FEBRUARY 2021