Maïga’s strategy is straightforward: she aims to provide convenience to customers through cutting-edge innovation, fast data, and swift connectivity, ensuring that every Motswana can stay connected from any corner of the country.
According to Maïga, what strengthens Orange is the solid foundation of its various segments. She highlights that Orange Money services allow registered users to deposit cash into a virtual wallet, which can be used for a range of payments and purchases, including peer-to-peer transactions.
Orange Money serves as a crucial tool for financial inclusion, particularly for unbanked individuals, enabling them to actively participate in the economy. Africa’s status as one of the most underbanked regions globally has led to a significant increase in mobile money adoption. As of March 2024, the total number of mobile money subscribers reached 1,136,023, with Orange Money accounting for 883,788 subscribers, giving Orange a commanding market share of 77.7 percent.
Furthermore, Orange leads in mobile broadband subscriptions, boasting 1,441,534 users, which represents 49.5 percent of the market. In mobile telephony subscriptions, Orange has also emerged as the market leader with 1,888,090 customers as of March 2024. Maïga emphasises that this dominance results from a strategic hard work focused on innovation, customer convenience, and swift connectivity.
Before her tenure in Botswana, Maïga worked in several countries both in and outside Africa, including Morocco, Senegal, Mali, Cameroon, and France. Prior to her role in Botswana, she served as Chief of Staff for the Orange CEO across Africa.
In this capacity, she oversaw and coordinated cross-functional projects to ensure timely and successful completion, tracked project milestones and deliverables, and provided regular updates to the executive team. She also facilitated communication and collaboration among various departments and acted as a trusted advisor to the executive team and the Orange Africa CEO.
This experience helped groom her and provided a deep understanding of how Orange operates across several countries, as well as insights into the behaviors of several African markets.
Maïga also serves as Chairman of the Orange Money Board, starting in December 2021. She has held the position of Chief of Staff to the CEO at Orange Middle East and Africa S.A., both in France and Morocco, from June 2018 to August 2021.
She is a dynamic CEO who is well-known for her strategic acumen and commitment to sustainability. She has a history of fostering growth and innovation in the finance and telecommunications industries, making her a well-rounded leader in her field. Additionally, she has been in charge of dealing with key topics including talent management, gender equity, and strategic projects.
She is an award-winning telecommunications leader. In 2023, she was named 2023 Female Innovator of the Year at the Africa Tech Festival. Maïga has also been recognised by the World Economic Forum as one of the most promising Young Global Leaders of 2024.
Upon her arrival in Botswana, she focused on grasping the day-to-day operations by engaging with her management team through one-on-one discussions about their roles. This approach fostered a sense of pride and yielded valuable feedback.
Having observed more advanced markets than Botswana, she commends the country for its leadership, resources, and receptive society. As a competitor in a challenging market, she strives to meet customer needs through expanded coverage, swift connectivity, and convenience. “We needed to have all our services working very well. We needed to ensure that we offer the best service. To do that, we had to make sure that Orange connectivity is available all over Botswana, and that our data services are fast and efficient,” she explains.
Maïga adds that Orange Botswana’s strategy revolves around providing convenience and excellent service quality to customers.
“The focus is on the customer. We increased our network coverage because customers want a network that is everywhere. We upgraded all our sites to 4G to ensure fast speeds,” she states. For the past three years, professional assessments have consistently placed Orange at the top in terms of fast internet.
With Orange Money, for example, the aim is to provide customers with the convenience of seamless transactions. To achieve connectivity across a wider geographic area, Orange has invested in transmission towers throughout the country.
The total investment in this extensive undertaking exceeds P2 billion.
“Over 90 percent of Batswana (our clients) are covered with 4G speed connectivity, while over 50 percent have access to 5G,” she reveals.
To deliver reliable 5G speeds, two service setups are in place: mobile speeds reach up to 80 Mbps, while fixed fiber connectivity offers unlimited speeds, capable of clocking gigabytes. With 5G, further advancements in voice services are expected, alongside efforts to provide affordable factory phones that support 5G speeds.
The Mobile Space
Customer convenience is paramount in the mobile sector. Regulated by the Bank of Botswana, Maïga notes that their services are compliant by design. However, the variety of services offered by Orange is unmatched. She states that Orange Money is available throughout Botswana, facilitating instant loans, and enabling payments for DStv, water, and electricity bills—all accessible in one place thanks to partnerships with commercial banks and financial service providers.
She emphasises the importance of continually introducing and improving services while actively seeking customer feedback, embracing even critical input to enhance service delivery and customer experience.
Orange Money represents a significant contribution to financial inclusion, resulting from considerable effort. Customers are always aware of what they pay for and the costs associated with the services they use. Maïga highlights that extensive education is provided to customers regarding the financial services they access. While expansion is driven by customer needs, transactions can be made to nearly all countries globally, with the option to use a VISA card when traveling outside Botswana. The regulatory limit remains at about P45,000, but Maïga indicates they will soon seek regulatory approval to increase this limit to meet customer demand. Orange Money facilitates cross-border transactions, enabling transfers to Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, and others. “Our VISA card can also be used worldwide. We can transact in countries like the USA, demonstrating our relevance in offering financial services,” she explains.
To maintain a competitive edge and market share, Maïga emphasises the importance of innovation and customer excellence. With around 2 million customers, the focus has intensified on service improvement, leading to investments in additional services and applications for customers.
Incorporating ESG
With a commitment to giving back to society, each employee is afforded three days a year to dedicate to community-benefiting actions through a program called Engage for Change, which aims to boost pride among Orange employees. Maïga reveals that significant efforts are directed towards education to ensure that everyone possesses the digital and business skills necessary for their future aspirations. To date, 78 primary schools have been equipped with 50 tablets and a server each, with entire curriculums digitised and teachers trained to maximise the use of these resources.
She also outlines a personal target of reaching 100 primary schools, in accordance with agreements with the ministries of local government, basic education, and the Botswana Communications and Regulatory Authority (BOCRA). Additionally, eight women’s digital centers have been established, training women in business, equipping them with laptops and tablets and imparting basic IT and business skills to reduce dependency and encourage growth in existing activities.
According to Maïga, having a phone can significantly bolster business development. Within the digital ecosystem, Orange Botswana supports the Orange Digital Center.
Competitions like the Summer Challenge and Orange Social Venture are actively promoted to uncover the hidden potential in the country and foster growth. Sponsorships of events such as the FA Cup and the Phikwe Marathon have also positively impacted economic activity, showcasing Orange’s community investment initiatives.
Recently, total sponsorship figures for athletes reached P1.8 million in preparation for the Olympics, and Orange is poised to further invest in sports, emphasising health and mental well-being.
While Orange remains strong across various fronts, Maïga acknowledges there is still ample room for growth in fixed broadband internet, which currently has the lowest penetration.
