January 2 – Telecom giant Orange has renewed its long-running sponsorship of the Confederation of African football (CAF) including through the next two editions of the Africa Cup of Nations and adding the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Orange has been a sponsor been a sponsor of CAF since 2008. The renewal covers AFCON 2023 that kicks off in the Coast in January 13, as well as the 2025 edition in Morocco. The 2024 women’s edition will also be played in Morocco.
CAF said the renewal reinforced “the shared commitment around football development, diversity and inclusion in Africa”.
“Our commitment to African football spans more than 20 years, and we’re proud to host over 40 football partnerships in countries across the region, including national teams as well as numerous various youth, academy and university programmes across several countries,” said Jérôme Henique, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa.
Expanding on its three pillars of connectivity, diversity and inclusivity in its sponsorship strategy, Orange said its diversity commitment is to deliver 50/50 representation of male and female sports across its sponsorship portfolio.
Through its Orange Digital Centers, the company said it will develop dedicated programmes to support young players develop their digital skills and training, including the teaching of coding skills to youth by using football content.
Caroline Guillaumin, Executive Vice President of Communication at Orange, concludes: “Football partnerships represent over 85% of local sponsorship investments in Africa and the Middle East. We invest in football at all levels because we fundamentally believe in the power of sports for mass inclusion. With CAF, we have a real opportunity to drive more gender equality, more inclusion, and more skills and development by bridging digital transformation with the passions loved by our customers and fans.”
The Orange renewal is important for CAF which has struggled in recent years to put together a meaningful commercial programme that delivers for partners. No figure was given for the sponsorship.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe, said: “We are excited to continue working together with Orange to make African Football amongst the best in the world and self-supporting. The TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire is expected to be watched by over 880 million people and we are delighted that Orange is our partner for this Competition and the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025. Our partnership with Orange will also support the development and growth of Women’s football on the African Continent.”
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