Africa’s entrepreneurial story has too often been told through the lens of scarcity: scarce capital, scarce jobs, scarce opportunities. Yet on the ground, a different narrative is unfolding. The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) is showing how targeted philanthropy can seed markets, de-risk ventures, and create pipelines of businesses ready for private investment.  As global interest …

Africa’s demographic dividend, its young, rapidly growing population, is often cited as its greatest asset, yet that potential frequently collides with the reality of slow labour absorption, skills gaps, and fragile employment systems.   While traditional policy levers like building more schools and importing curricula have yielded limited results. The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) employs an …

For decades, investing in women has been framed as philanthropy, a moral gesture, a soft quota, an act of equity. In Africa today, the evidence tells a sharper story: investing in women founders is not charity, it is strategy.   When women receive capital, they generate more jobs per dollar, reinvest more in households, and …

 Democratising Luck: How $5,000 is Redefining Africa’s Economy  For decades, entrepreneurial success in Africa has been shaped by chance, a fortunate investor, an unexpected loan, or a serendipitous meeting. Structural barriers like limited access to capital, inadequate training, and weak networks have left many with ideas but no pathway to execution.    At the Tony …

The Invisible Threads of Change: Micro-Narratives from Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme Beneficiaries  Africa is not one country, nor one culture. It is 54 countries, with thousands of cultures, and millions of entrepreneurial stories playing out every day.   The Tony Elumelu Foundation’s support is like a tracer dye illuminating the vital pathways of Africa’s entrepreneurial …

Entrepreneurship has become the defining skill of the 21st century, but access to knowledge, capital, and networks is still distributed unevenly.   In emerging markets especially, the difference between an idea that thrives and one that fades often comes down to access: who you know, what you have been taught, and whether you can secure that …

For too long, Africa’s women entrepreneurs have been invisible in the mainstream narrative of development.   They are often described as “micro,” as if their businesses were destined to remain small, local, or marginal. The truth is far more disruptive: women are building enterprises that can redefine industries, value chains, and even Africa’s position in the …

Aid has kept many nations afloat but rarely transformed them.   Billions of dollars in support have not created self-sustaining economies. Instead, they often foster dependence and weaken the drive for local innovation.  Our Founder, Tony O. Elumelu CFR, captures this truth powerfully:  “Africapitalism means we cannot rely on governments or aid to create prosperity. The …

At the heart of Africa’s economic transformation lies a powerful force: entrepreneurship.   As the continent contends with rising climate vulnerability and deepening economic disparities, homegrown start-ups are emerging as key drivers of sustainable development. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Sahel region, where a new generation of African entrepreneurs is addressing environmental …

It is a common argument in policy circles and corporate boardrooms: for Africa to truly prosper, we need more big firms. Large companies, after all, create jobs at scale, stimulate trade, build infrastructure, and anchor stable economies. And it is true, Africa needs strong institutions and large-scale employers. But that is only part of the …