CHAIRMAN, Tony Elumelu Foundation, Mr. Tony Elumelu has called for global support for young African entrepreneurs to drive meaningful and sustainable transformation of the continent.
Elumelu, who is also the Chairman of UBA Group Plc, and Heirs Holdings, made this call while speaking at the Legacy Builders Palm Beach Conference, in Florida, US.
According to him, African youths are key to the transformation of the continent, adding that this inspired the creation of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, which is dedicated to empowering African entrepreneurs.
“Today, we have granted 2.5 million Africans access to training on TEFConnect, our online portal, and lifted over 2 million individuals out of poverty.
“We have also disbursed more than $100 million in direct funding to over 21,000 beneficiaries, who have created 1.5 million jobs, and generated $4.2 billion in revenue across the continent.
“We also learnt; we can’t do it just by ourselves – our programme receives over 300,000+ applications a year. So, we now work with the EU, the UN, the Red Cross – and with family foundations, we launched a programme with the Ikea Foundation – they use our execution ability – we amplify the good.”
While noting that many African youths are creating jobs and eliminating poverty, with their impact felt in their communities and across the continent as they come up with solutions that are transforming Africa, Elumelu averred that every young African with a dream should have a fair shot at realising it.
This, he said, requires knowledge-sharing, about mentorship, about building networks that support and uplift, hence the need to do more so as to create a continent where young entrepreneurs are not paralysed by systemic barriers, but propelled forward by opportunity. We will bring back hope.
“Africa will not rise by chance—it will rise because of deliberate action, because of people who refuse to accept the status quo and choose instead to create the future we deserve, “ he said.
