Orange Corners is pleased to announce the winners of the first round of the OCIF subsidy programme, which closed in November 2023. Round 1 covered six countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Angola, Morocco and Mozambique.
About OCIF
OCIF is complementary to the Orange Corners incubation and acceleration programmes. This access to finance instrument provides young entrepreneurs with their first seed funding, allowing them to truly develop their idea into a product or proposition ready to enter the market. OCIF is currently available in nine countries or regions. With this subsidy programme, we extend and expand OCIF to 12 new countries.
DRC
Under the new subsidy programme, our DRC graduates will have access to OCIF for the very first time. For OCIF in the DRC, we’ll be partnering with Equity Banque Commerciale du Congo. Equity BCDC is the second largest bank in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Nigeria
In Nigeria, OCIF will continue to be administered by our current OCIF partner, FATE Foundation. FATE Foundation is Nigeria’s foremost business incubator and accelerator and also our current implementing partner for Orange Corners Nigeria.
Côte d’Ivoire
Winner of the OCIF subsidy in Côte d’Ivoire is Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners (ESPartners), our current OCIF partner as well as our implementing partner for Orange Corners Côte d’Ivoire. ESPartners provides intelligent capital – the right combination of insights and capital – to innovative, scalable and profitable enterprises to address critical societal issues.
Angola
In Angola, our new OCIF partners are KixiCrédito SA and Development Workshop Angola. KixiCrédito is the first Angolan microcredit company dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs through microcredit, aiming to promote their businesses and improve the living conditions of its customers and their families. Development Workshop Angola (DWA) is one of Angola’s oldest NGOs, with a focus on supporting emerging Angolan civil society.
Morocco
In Morocco, we’ll be working with a familiar name for OCIF as well. Bidaya has ran Orange Corners Morocco as well as our innovation fund since its inception. Bidaya, established in 2015, belongs to the international incubator network GROUPE SOS and is Morocco’s leading incubator for high impact projects operating in the social, environmental and cultural sector.
Mozambique
In Mozambique, up to 2030 OCIF will be administered by Resiliência Moçambique. For OCIF, they’ll work together with Orange Corners Mozambique implementing partner ideialab and Gapi – Sociedade de Investimentos. Resiliencia is part of the international network organisation Resilience B.V. and carries out research and consultancy projects in emerging markets. Moreover, they also initiate and invest in social enterprises to develop market-based solutions for pressing issues. Gapi, their current partner for OCIF, is a development financial institution which contributes to economic, social and financial inclusion in Mozambique through promoting innovation, entrepreneurship and job-creating investments.
