Some of the lucky entrepreneurs selected last year
The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) has announced October 25, 2018 as the date for its 4thannual TEF Entrepreneurship Forum.
The largest gathering of African entrepreneurs and broad entrepreneurship ecosystem will unite over 5,000 entrepreneurs, global investors, leaders from the African public and private sectors and developmental organisations at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos.
The event is a unique opportunity to generate ideas, forge networks and bring policymakers and the private sector together in a spirit of robust debate and interaction.
The 2018 cohort from the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme, as well as mentors and partners, will be present, as the culmination of their intensive 12-week induction.
The Forum will include an interactive session with President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and President Akufo-Addo of Ghana moderated by TEF Founder, Tony O. Elumelu.
It will also feature the launch of the TEFConnect, the world’s largest digital platform for African entrepreneurs, dedicated to connecting African entrepreneurs and the entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Founder, Tony O. Elumelu, CON, stated: “In just four years, we have directly impacted 4,460 entrepreneurs, and we are beginning to see the results – job creation, ripple effects, but most importantly a recognition that Africa’s economic wellbeing is driven by entrepreneurs: female and male, large and small – they are the engine of our continent’s transformation. We will be championing and celebrating them.”
“This year, we are truly achieving scale and impact; we received over 150,000 applications in 2017 alone, up from 20,000 applications in 2015. We are now calling on the current generation of African success stories and others to partner with us to see how we can all further create impact, genuinely transform millions of lives and increase the number of inspiring stories we will be hearing in Lagos.”
The programme is a 10-year, $100 million commitment to identify, train, mentor and fund 10,000 entrepreneurs.
Its goal is to invest in businesses that will generate at least 1,000,000 new jobs and contribute at least $10 billion in new annual revenues across Africa.
In its 4th year, TEF Entrepreneurship Programme has empowered 4,460 entrepreneurs with a total investment of $20 million; 4,000 funded directly by the Foundation and 460 have been funded by partners.
A business desk report