{"id":28206,"date":"2025-11-18T14:44:46","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T13:44:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tonyelumelufoundation.org\/?p=28206"},"modified":"2025-12-01T10:06:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T09:06:04","slug":"keynote-remarks-empowering-nigerias-entrepreneurs-building-institutions-that-last","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tonyelumelufoundation.org\/ar\/interviews-speeches\/keynote-remarks-empowering-nigerias-entrepreneurs-building-institutions-that-last","title":{"rendered":"\u0627\u0644\u0645\u0644\u0627\u062d\u0638\u0627\u062a \u0627\u0644\u0631\u0626\u064a\u0633\u064a\u0629: \u062a\u0645\u0643\u064a\u0646 \u0631\u0648\u0627\u062f \u0627\u0644\u0623\u0639\u0645\u0627\u0644 \u0641\u064a \u0646\u064a\u062c\u064a\u0631\u064a\u0627: \u0628\u0646\u0627\u0621 \u0645\u0624\u0633\u0633\u0627\u062a \u062a\u062f\u0648\u0645 \u0637\u0648\u064a\u0644\u0627\u064b"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Keynote Remarks: <strong>Empowering Nigeria\u2019s Entrepreneurs: <\/strong><strong>Building Institutions That Last <\/strong>\u0633\u0644\u0645\u062a \u0628\u0648\u0627\u0633\u0637\u0629 <strong>\u062a\u0648\u0646\u064a \u0623\u0648. \u0625\u0644\u0648\u0645\u064a\u0644\u0648<\/strong>, CFR Group Chair, Heirs Holdings | UBA | Transcorp | Founder, The Tony Elumelu Foundation at the <strong>GROW NIGERIA CONFERENCE 2.0 <\/strong>\u0644\u0627\u063a\u0648\u0633\u060c \u0646\u064a\u062c\u064a\u0631\u064a\u0627<\/p>\n<p>Monday, November 17, 2025<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Opening<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Leaders of government, of business, young entrepreneurs gathered here, all who are responsible for tomorrow\u2019s possibilities \u2014 good morning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It is an honour to be here.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Let me be blunt:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The future of Nigeria is not going to be written in some far-off boardroom.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It is being shaped, right now, by you, by us, by every passionate entrepreneur, who refuses to settle for average, who beats the odds and dares to dream big in this great country.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Nigeria is Entrepreneurial \u2014 But We Must Build to Last<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Too many of our businesses never get past the struggle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Too many great ideas fail because the system, the support, the ecosystem\u2014wasn\u2019t there for them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>This must change. Starting businesses is good. But, sustaining them? This is critical. And that\u2019s how we transform this economy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I started out just like many of you \u2014 restless, ambitious, ready to prove myself.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>But experience taught me: success isn\u2019t about today. It\u2019s about what remains when you\u2019re gone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If you are chasing profit and nothing else \u2014 your journey will be short.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If you\u2019re driven by purpose and a vision to make lives better \u2014 your legacy will endure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Private Sector: The Engine of Nigeria\u2019s Renewal<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Here\u2019s the bottom line:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Nigeria will not be built by government handouts or foreign aid. Government\u2019s role is critical, but:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Nigeria will be built by entrepreneurs \u2014 by you, building businesses that create jobs, hope, and prosperity from the ground up.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>But you cannot do it alone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You need frameworks \u2014 clear governance, succession planning, and relentless focus on value.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>This is why at the Tony Elumelu Foundation, yes we give each beneficiary a non-refundable seed capital of USD5,000.00.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>But to us, our greatest catalytic impact is the 12-week business education class we organise for young African entrepreneurs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>We do this to enlarge our private sector. Because we believe that the private sector is the engine of Nigeria\u2019s renewal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>That\u2019s Africapitalism that drives us at Heirs Holdings \u2014 using business to build Africa, to build Nigeria, to do well and do good at the same time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>We Need the Right Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>We need a Nigeria where:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Policies are predictable (investors love predictability\u2014let\u2019s give it to them).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Infrastructure works.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Financing is truly accessible.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Our best brains aren\u2019t stuck solving the same old problems\u2014 or leaving the country<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>We know this can be done \u2013 we have done it!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>At the Tony Elumelu Foundation, we put our money where our mouth is.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Over 24,000 young Africans \u2014 9,229 from Nigeria \u2014 have received capital, mentorship, training, not just to start up, but to scale up.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>They are building businesses, creating jobs, exporting to new markets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>That is the future.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Public and Private Sectors: Collaboration is Key<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Let me speak directly to Government, the private sector, institutions like SMEDAN \u2014 our work must be connected, not siloed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Let me commend Charles Odii \u2013 SMEDAN CEO\/Director General for this and what he has been doing since his appointment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Let me also commend His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for believing in and appointing young Nigerians to steer critical national agencies and for all he does to support youth entrepreneurship in Nigeria.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Let us cut the bureaucracy. Make finance and opportunity real, not theoretical.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Design policies that spark innovation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Let\u2019s help Nigeria\u2019s entrepreneurs move from surviving &#8211; to winning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Every job we create fights insecurity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Every thriving business increases our tax base and accelerates prosperity for ALL.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Digital is the Game Changer<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Let\u2019s talk digital.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Today, a woman in Lekki or Oshodi can run a global operation right from her smartphone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Technology has levelled the playing field \u2014 opportunity is before us &#8211; if we build the infrastructure, if digital skills reach EVERY community, if no entrepreneur is left behind.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>We need the power that is so vital to the digital economy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Last month in Washington, at the IMF meetings, my message was straightforward.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>We Africans must be included in the AI revolution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>My message in Nigeria is the same \u2013 without infrastructure, without power, Africa will be left behind once again. We need to act and now, for Nigeria, for Africa.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>We need a Nigeria that is built to last and built to succeed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Call to Action: Build for Generations<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>We \u2014 leaders, policymakers, business owners \u2014 must forge partnerships that set our entrepreneurs free to focus on GROWTH.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>We must turn pain into progress, hustle into history.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Our entrepreneurs are tough, resilient \u2014 but hardship shouldn\u2019t be our default strategy!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Resilience must lead to innovation, not just survival.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>So, let me challenge every one of you:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Don\u2019t just start, SCALE.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Don\u2019t just build for profit, BUILD FOR PURPOSE.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Don\u2019t just think of today \u2014 think generations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Nigeria, it\u2019s time to move from start-ups to scale-ups, from individuals to institutions, from small ventures to lasting legacies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>That\u2019s how we create a future where <em>everyone<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>That\u2019s how we build a Nigeria that works \u2014 for ALL.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I repeat, we need a Nigeria that is built to last and built to succeed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Thank<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u0625\u0635\u0628\u0639 \u0642\u062f\u0645<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u0627\u0644\u0645\u0644\u0627\u062d\u0638\u0627\u062a \u0627\u0644\u0631\u0626\u064a\u0633\u064a\u0629: \u062a\u0645\u0643\u064a\u0646 \u0631\u0648\u0627\u062f \u0627\u0644\u0623\u0639\u0645\u0627\u0644 \u0641\u064a \u0646\u064a\u062c\u064a\u0631\u064a\u0627: \u0628\u0646\u0627\u0621 \u0627\u0644\u0645\u0624\u0633\u0633\u0627\u062a \u0627\u0644\u062a\u064a \u062a\u062f\u0648\u0645 \u064a\u0644\u0642\u064a\u0647\u0627 \u062a\u0648\u0646\u064a \u0623\u0648 \u0625\u0644\u0648\u0645\u064a\u0644\u0648\u060c \u0631\u0626\u064a\u0633 \u0645\u062c\u0644\u0633 \u0625\u062f\u0627\u0631\u0629 \u0645\u062c\u0645\u0648\u0639\u0629 \u0647\u064a\u0631\u0632 \u0627\u0644\u0642\u0627\u0628\u0636\u0629 | UBA | \u062a\u0631\u0627\u0646\u0633 \u0643\u0648\u0631\u0628 | \u0645\u0624\u0633\u0633 \u0645\u0624\u0633\u0633\u0629 \u062a\u0648\u0646\u064a \u0625\u0644\u0648\u0645\u064a\u0644\u0648 \u0641\u064a \u0645\u0624\u062a\u0645\u0631 GROW NIGERIA 2.0 \u0644\u0627\u063a\u0648\u0633\u060c \u0646\u064a\u062c\u064a\u0631\u064a\u0627 \u0627\u0644\u0627\u062b\u0646\u064a\u0646 17 \u0646\u0648\u0641\u0645\u0628\u0631 2025 \u0627\u0644\u0627\u0641\u062a\u062a\u0627\u062d \u0627\u0644\u0633\u064a\u062f\u0627\u062a \u0648\u0627\u0644\u0633\u0627\u062f\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u0643\u0631\u0627\u0645\u060c \u0642\u0627\u062f\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u062d\u0643\u0648\u0645\u0627\u062a \u0648\u0631\u062c\u0627\u0644 \u0627\u0644\u0623\u0639\u0645\u0627\u0644 \u0648\u0627\u0644\u0634\u0628\u0627\u0628 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