The contrast stayed with him.

Rather than treating waste as simply an environmental problem, Haroun Mahamat Adoum saw an opportunity to build a service that could improve urban sanitation while creating employment and laying the groundwork for recycling.

That vision became The First Waste Management, a growing environmental services company providing household waste collection in N’Djamena and working towards a more sustainable approach to waste management in Chad.

Turning an everyday problem into an enterprise

Waste management may not immediately seem like an area for entrepreneurship, but for Haroun, the need was clear.

As cities grow, so does the volume of waste they produce. Without reliable collection systems, rubbish can accumulate in residential communities, affecting the cleanliness of neighbourhoods and creating wider environmental and public health concerns.

Haroun’s experience abroad gave him a practical reference point for what organised waste management could look like.

He returned with the conviction that Chad needed businesses capable of providing structured services rather than relying solely on informal or inconsistent approaches.

The result was The First Waste Management, built around a straightforward proposition: make waste collection more accessible, organised and reliable for households.

From an idea with no equipment to a working waste collection service

The First Waste Management started with little more than Haroun’s vision.

Before joining the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme, the business had no revenue, equipment or operational infrastructure. Turning the concept into a functioning service therefore required both financial resources and the business knowledge to establish a sustainable operating model.

Today, the company provides door-to-door household waste collection in N’Djamena’s 4th arrondissement.

Residents can subscribe to the service for 500 CFA per household, giving them access to a more structured way of disposing of household waste.

The business has also created its first jobs, growing to a team of five employees, including one woman.

While household collection is the company’s starting point, Haroun’s ambitions extend further. He is working towards introducing recycling initiatives that can recover useful materials from collected waste, reduce environmental pollution and create additional economic value from resources that would otherwise be discarded.

How the Tony Elumelu Foundation helped Haroun Mahamat Adoum move from vision to action

For Haroun, turning an environmental idea into a functioning business required more than identifying a problem. He needed the capital, entrepreneurial knowledge and support network to build the foundations of the company.

In 2021, he joined the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme, receiving US$5,000 in seed capital, alongside business training, mentorship and access to the Foundation’s pan-African entrepreneurial network.

The support helped move The First Waste Management from concept to operation.

Haroun used the seed capital to acquire essential equipment, launch household waste collection and recruit his first employees. The Foundation’s training also strengthened his understanding of business planning, operations and growth management.

The programme’s value extended beyond the funding itself. Through mentorship and connection to a wider community of African entrepreneurs, Haroun gained access to perspectives and knowledge that could support him as he navigated the challenges of building an emerging environmental services business.

Building a business around cleaner communities

The significance of The First Waste Management goes beyond the collection of household rubbish.

For communities, reliable waste collection can make everyday life more organised and contribute to cleaner residential environments. For the business itself, the model creates opportunities to build an emerging environmental services industry in Chad.

Employment is another part of that equation.

As the company grows, opportunities can emerge across collection, logistics, administration, recycling and other areas of waste management. Haroun’s early decision to build a formal enterprise around waste services therefore creates a foundation for economic activity alongside its environmental objectives.

His planned move into recycling could take that model further by treating waste not simply as something to remove, but as a resource that can be recovered, processed and reused.

That shift—from waste disposal to resource recovery—is central to the longer-term opportunity Haroun sees for the business.

A bigger vision for waste management in Chad

Haroun Mahamat Adoum’s ambition is not limited to one neighbourhood in N’Djamena.

He plans to expand The First Waste Management into other major cities across Chad while developing recycling facilities and community education programmes around responsible waste disposal and waste segregation.

The objective is to build a more integrated waste management model—one that combines collection, environmental awareness and resource recovery.

For a country where structured waste management remains an emerging area, that represents an opportunity to build the sector alongside the growth of its cities.

Haroun’s journey also illustrates how entrepreneurship can emerge from personal experience. His exposure to organised sanitation systems abroad did not simply change his perspective on waste; it helped him recognise a service gap that could be addressed through a locally built business.

The road ahead for Haroun Mahamat Adoum

The First Waste Management is still at an early stage, but its direction is clear.

Haroun wants to expand household collection, introduce recycling and build systems that can serve communities at a larger scale. His longer-term ambition is to contribute to sustainable urban sanitation across Chad and position the country as a stronger example of environmental entrepreneurship in Central Africa.

For Haroun Mahamat Adoum, cleaner cities are not an abstract environmental goal. They are the result of practical systems, reliable services and people willing to build them.

Through The First Waste Management, he is turning that belief into a business—one household, one employee and one cleaner community at a time.

The post Haroun Mahamat Adoum Is Transforming Waste Management in Chad for a Cleaner Future appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

Philanthropy is changing. 

Across the world, organisations working to advance the public good are confronting a rapidly shifting landscape shaped by technological disruption, climate change, economic inequality and changing social realities. For philanthropic institutions, the question is no longer simply how to respond to these challenges, but how to rethink the models, partnerships and instruments through which lasting impact can be created. 

It was against this backdrop that leaders from across the philanthropic sector gathered in São Paulo on 27 August for the Brazilian Philanthropy Forum 2026, convened under the theme “Philanthropy: Between Essence and Reinvention.” 

Representing the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), CEO Somachi Chris-Asoluka brought an African perspective to the conversation, sharing lessons from the Tony Elumelu Foundation’s work supporting entrepreneurs across the continent and making the case for a more inclusive, locally rooted, and partnership-driven approach to development. 

For Somachi, reinvention must not mean losing sight of philanthropy’s fundamental purpose. 

It must mean finding better ways to advance it. 

Shift from philanthropy to agency 

Speaking during a panel discussion at the Forum, Somachi reflected on the origins of the Tony Elumelu Foundation and the philosophy of Africapitalism, a word coined by our Founder, Tony O. Elumelu, CFR. 

Established in 2010, the Tony Elumelu Foundation was built around a clear conviction: African entrepreneurs can and must play a leading role in transforming the continent. 

That conviction is rooted in our founder’s philosophy of Africapitalism: the belief that the private sector has a critical role in Africa’s development by investing in strategic sectors not only for profit, but for shared prosperity.  

The philosophy challenges the traditional separation between commercial success and social impact. 

Businesses can generate returns for shareholders while creating opportunities for employees, communities and wider economies. Philanthropic capital, similarly, can do more than address immediate needs; it can help unlock the potential of individuals who can go on to create value for others. 

This philosophy sits at the heart of TEF’s approach to entrepreneurship. 

“We believe that the transformation of the African continent will not come from the private sector, the corporate, government, and it will not come from international development agencies, but it will come from our entrepreneurs,” Somachi Chris-Asoluka 

Africa is the world’s youngest continent, with a median age of 17. For its rapidly growing young population, the need for economic opportunity is immediate. 

“These young people need economic opportunities. They need jobs, and they cannot wait for these jobs to come,” she said. 

The implication is clear: Africa’s young people cannot simply be positioned as beneficiaries of development. They must be recognised as builders of it. 

Investing in entrepreneurs, investing in economies 

Since 2015, the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme has sought to turn this philosophy into action by providing entrepreneurs with the combination of capital, knowledge, mentorship and networks required to build sustainable businesses. 

The scale of the intervention is significant. 

Through its programmes, the Foundation has trained 2.5 million young Africans, funded 27,000 entrepreneurs with more than US$130 million in direct funding, and supported businesses that have collectively created 1.5 million jobs and generated more than US$4 billion in revenue. 

For TEF, these figures represent more than programme outputs. 

They demonstrate what can happen when philanthropic capital is deployed to unlock entrepreneurial agency. 

“This is revenue that did not exist before we intervened in these young people,” she said. 

The point speaks directly to the Forum’s central conversation about reinvention. 

The question is not only how much capital philanthropy deploys, but what that capital makes possible after it is deployed. 

When an entrepreneur receives funding, develops a business, employs people, and generates revenue, the impact can extend far beyond the original intervention. Capital begins to circulate through communities and economies, creating additional opportunities along the way. 

This is the catalytic potential of philanthropy: using relatively targeted interventions to unlock much broader economic and social value. 

Technology Should Widen Opportunity, Not Deepen Divides 

Our CEO Somachi Chris-Asoluka also reflected on one of the defining forces reshaping development today: technology. 

As a last-mile implementer, The Tony Elumelu Foundation works directly across all 54 African countries. This requires both a deep understanding of local realities and the ability to connect entrepreneurs across vast geographical, economic, and cultural contexts. 

Technology has become an important part of that equation. 

The Foundation developed TEFConnect, its proprietary digital platform connecting African entrepreneurs and members of the diaspora to business tools, knowledge, mentors, investors, partnerships, marketplaces and one another. 

But Somachi stressed that digital transformation must be approached with intentionality. 

“We don’t want to use technology to deepen divides that already exist, to deepen inequalities that already exist,” she said. “We want to make sure that we’re using technology to make opportunity more inclusive and more widespread.” 

That principle has shaped the evolution of TEFConnect. 

The platform has been designed to accommodate entrepreneurs living with disabilities, who represent 15% of TEF’s entrepreneurs, ensuring that accessibility is embedded into the digital experience rather than treated as an afterthought. 

The Foundation has also adapted the platform in response to the experiences of women entrepreneurs. 

When TEF first launched its entrepreneurship programme, applications were initially being completed by young men and women in roughly equal numbers. Yet while 70 per cent of male applicants completed their applications, fewer than 30 per cent of women did. 

The disparity prompted a closer examination of the barriers women were facing. 

The answer was not simply to encourage more women to participate. It was to redesign the system around their realities. 

Women entrepreneurs explained that they were balancing entrepreneurship with childcare, household responsibilities, and other demands on their time. A training platform designed primarily around conventional working hours therefore created an additional barrier. 

TEF responded by making its learning content self-paced, enabling entrepreneurs to access training around their lives rather than requiring their lives to conform to the platform. 

It is a small but powerful illustration of human-centred thinking in development: sometimes the barrier is not a lack of ambition or willingness to participate, but a system that has been designed without sufficiently understanding the people it is meant to serve. 

The same principle applies to entrepreneurs in rural and underserved communities. 

Where digital penetration and affordability remain challenges, technology must not become another mechanism for exclusion. TEFConnect has therefore been designed to be low-data and accessible, helping entrepreneurs in remote communities participate in the digital economy. 

Scale Should Not Come At The Expense Of Context 

Operating across 54 countries presents another challenge: how can an organisation achieve continental scale while remaining responsive to local realities? 

There is no single African entrepreneurial experience. 

Markets differ. Regulations differ. Infrastructure differs. Languages, cultures and economic conditions differ. 

Yet the need for opportunity is remarkably universal. 

“African entrepreneurs are no different from the entrepreneurs here in Brazil and in Latin America,” Somachi observed. “All entrepreneurs need the same things.” 

They need funding. 

They need people willing to believe in them. 

They need opportunities to demonstrate what they can do. 

And they need ecosystems that allow their businesses to grow. 

This creates an important distinction between standardisation and scale. 

Scale does not necessarily require every entrepreneur, community or country to receive the same intervention in exactly the same way. Rather, it can mean creating systems and infrastructure that are sufficiently strong to operate at scale while remaining adaptable enough to respond to local realities. 

For organisations working across different contexts, flexibility becomes essential. 

As Somachi later noted, organisations should remain committed to their missions while being willing to adapt how they pursue them. 

“What I think is important is that you should be flexible, you should be adaptable,” she said. “I don’t think that it’s as important as how you get there, as long as the results are identical to what you want to see for your community.” 

The principle is particularly relevant to philanthropy, where complex social problems rarely have neat or linear solutions. 

Impact Must Be Built Into The DNA 

Somachi also offered a practical message for smaller organisations working to create change. 

Impact measurement and communication should not be treated as something reserved for organisations that have already achieved scale. 

“Impact should be in the DNA of the organisation,” she said. “Everything that you do, you should create the data, create the records, and create the visibility platforms to show the world the impact that you’re creating in your own small corner.” 

The advice speaks to an increasingly important reality within the philanthropic sector. 

Impact is not only about what an organisation achieves. It is also about its ability to understand, demonstrate and communicate that achievement. 

Building these systems from the beginning enables organisations to learn from their work, strengthen accountability and make a stronger case for future investment and partnerships. 

But Somachi paired this emphasis on evidence with another principle: humility. 

Organisations must continue to learn. 

“Never be satisfied or complacent with what you know,” she urged, encouraging smaller organisations to remain open to other experiences, perspectives and approaches. 

Expertise in a particular community or terrain is valuable. But it becomes even more powerful when combined with the willingness to listen, adapt and learn from others. 

Africa is open for partnership 

As the Forum explored the balance between philanthropy’s enduring purpose and the need for reinvention, Somachi’s message offered a distinctly African proposition. 

Africa does not need to be viewed solely through the lens of its challenges. 

It is a continent of young people, entrepreneurs, markets, ideas and possibilities — and its development will increasingly be shaped by Africans themselves. 

“Africa is the future for the world,” Somachi said. “And we’re open for business, open for partnerships, open for investment, open for dialogue.” 

That openness extends beyond the continent. 

The future she envisages is one in which Africa and Latin America, alongside other regions of the Global South, can build stronger relationships, exchange knowledge and create new pathways for shared prosperity. 

It is also a future in which philanthropy is not defined solely by the act of giving, but by its ability to catalyse agency, unlock potential and build systems that allow people to create lasting value for themselves and their communities. 

That may ultimately be what reinvention means. 

The essence remains the same: advancing the public good. 

But the tools, partnerships and people at the centre of that work are evolving. 

And as Somachi reflected at the Brazilian Philanthropy Forum, the opportunity is not to build that future in isolation. 

“We can achieve much more by coming together than doing it in isolation.” 

For the Tony Elumelu Foundation, that means continuing to invest in Africa’s entrepreneurs while building bridges with partners and institutions around the world. 

Because the future of philanthropy may be global. 

But the solutions will be stronger when they are locally rooted, entrepreneur-led and built together. 

 Watch her session here : https://youtu.be/7-jZzq4G9DM?si=8cno8HUQZ-ufCcy9

The post Rethinking Philanthropy: TEF CEO, Somachi Chris-Asoluka Calls for Greater Global South Collaboration at Brazilian Philanthropy Forum appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

Tatenda Mungofa saw a gap between vehicles and the roads they travelled

African drivers operate in an unusually diverse range of conditions.

Urban roads sit alongside rural routes. Smooth highways can quickly give way to rough terrain. Vehicles may encounter intense heat, dust, flooding and infrastructure that varies considerably from one location to another.

For drivers and businesses, reliability is therefore not a luxury.

It directly affects the cost of moving people, transporting goods and running businesses.

Mungofa’s experience of these conditions helped shape his thinking about automotive design.

The question was not whether imported vehicles could work in Africa. Many do.

The more fundamental question was whether Africa could develop vehicles with its own operating realities in mind from the beginning.

That question became the starting point for Mureza Auto.

What is Mureza Auto?

Mureza Auto is an automotive company founded by Tatenda Mungofa that is focused on developing and assembling vehicles for African markets.

The company’s approach combines automotive engineering, digital design and flexible manufacturing concepts to develop vehicles intended for demanding operating environments.

Rather than treating local conditions as an afterthought, Mureza’s design philosophy considers factors such as:

• Ground clearance
• Suspension performance
• Heat management
• Durability
• Maintainability
• Manufacturing flexibility
• Local component integration

Digital design and virtual prototyping also play a role in the development process, allowing engineers to evaluate different vehicle configurations before committing to physical production.

That matters because automotive manufacturing is capital intensive. Testing ideas digitally can help engineering teams identify problems earlier and refine designs before they reach the production stage.

Building a car is also about building an industry

The significance of Mureza Auto extends beyond the vehicle itself.

Automotive manufacturing sits at the intersection of multiple industries. A functioning vehicle ecosystem requires engineers, component manufacturers, technicians, software specialists, assembly workers, logistics providers, distributors and after-sales service networks.

That means a locally manufactured vehicle can potentially create value far beyond the factory floor.

Mungofa’s ambition therefore fits into a larger industrial question facing Africa:

Can the continent move from being primarily a consumer of manufactured products to becoming a producer of them?

For Mureza Auto, local manufacturing and supplier development are part of that equation.

The company’s modular approach is intended to provide flexibility as production develops, while creating opportunities to incorporate locally sourced components as supplier networks mature.

It is an incremental approach to industrialisation rather than a claim that an entire automotive ecosystem can appear overnight.

The Tony Elumelu Foundation backed the entrepreneur behind the ambition

Large industrial ideas require capital, but they also require entrepreneurial discipline.

In 2020, Tatenda Mungofa participated in the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme, receiving US$5,000 in seed capital, business training, mentorship and access to the Foundation’s pan-African entrepreneurial network.

For an entrepreneur pursuing a capital-intensive manufacturing business, this kind of early-stage support can provide useful room to develop the business behind the engineering vision.

The programme also placed Mungofa within a broader community of African entrepreneurs building businesses across different sectors and markets.

The Foundation’s role was to provide catalytic support.

The ambition, technical development and persistence required to build Mureza Auto remained Mungofa’s.

Tatenda Mungofa is creating more than vehicles

The automotive industry is one of the clearest examples of how entrepreneurship can create value through an ecosystem rather than a single product.

Mureza Auto’s multidisciplinary operations span areas including automotive engineering, digital design, assembly and industrial development. The company has reported a workforce in the 11–50 employee range, creating skilled opportunities around its manufacturing activities.

But the potential economic impact goes further.

A growing automotive manufacturer can generate demand for suppliers of components, electronics, tyres, bodywork, maintenance equipment and other services.

It can also create opportunities for technicians, designers, software developers and other skilled professionals.

This makes automotive entrepreneurship particularly relevant to Africa’s industrialisation agenda.

The objective is not simply to produce a finished vehicle.

It is to develop the capabilities, knowledge and commercial relationships that make more manufacturing possible.

Why building African vehicles matters

Africa’s automotive market is large and diverse, but the continent’s position in the global automotive value chain remains uneven.

Many African countries import finished vehicles while opportunities for local design, component production and manufacturing remain comparatively limited.

Mureza Auto’s proposition challenges that pattern.

Even at an early stage, the company demonstrates the value of asking different questions about African manufacturing.

What should a vehicle designed around African conditions look like?

What components can eventually be produced locally?

What skills can be developed around automotive manufacturing?

And how can African companies participate in a sector historically dominated by global manufacturers?

Tatenda Mungofa is attempting to answer those questions through a business rather than simply through theory.

From Zimbabwean entrepreneur to African automotive builder

Mungofa’s story is ultimately about changing the starting point.

Instead of asking how an imported vehicle can be adapted to African conditions, he is asking what becomes possible when African conditions influence the design process from the outset.

That distinction may appear subtle.

Industrial strategy rarely is.

Design decisions influence manufacturing requirements. Manufacturing creates supplier demand. Supplier networks create jobs and skills. Skills strengthen future manufacturing capacity.

Over time, these connections can become the foundations of an industrial ecosystem.

That is the longer-term opportunity behind Mureza Auto.

Looking ahead

Mureza Auto’s next challenge is also its biggest: turning engineering ambition into repeatable, commercially viable production at scale.

The company is working towards production readiness, manufacturing configurations and partnerships that can support future vehicle assembly.

Success will require capital, reliable supply chains, engineering talent, regulatory approvals and customers willing to adopt locally developed vehicles.

Those are significant hurdles.

But they are precisely why entrepreneurs such as Tatenda Mungofa matter to Africa’s industrial future.

The continent cannot build manufacturing capacity simply by declaring that it wants more of it. Someone has to attempt the difficult work of designing products, testing them, finding customers, developing suppliers and building the companies that can make production possible.

Mungofa is doing that with automobiles.

His story is therefore bigger than a car.

It is about whether Africa can increasingly become a place where products are not only bought, but imagined, engineered and made.

And for Tatenda Mungofa, that future begins on the road.

The post Tatenda Mungofa Is Building Vehicles for Africa, Not Just Selling Cars to It appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

Through the marketplace and logistics platform, Orji is helping informal and small businesses connect with digital consumers while providing them with practical tools to participate in online trade. His vision is clear: businesses should not have to become large companies before they can benefit from the digital economy.

Hyacinth Orji saw a digital gap hiding in everyday commerce

Nigeria’s informal economy is deeply embedded in everyday life.

For many small businesses, however, customer acquisition still depends heavily on physical visibility, personal networks and word-of-mouth recommendations. That model can work, but it can also limit a business’s ability to reach customers beyond its immediate surroundings.

As consumer behaviour changes, that limitation becomes more significant.

Customers increasingly expect to discover products online, place orders digitally and have purchases delivered to them. Yet a small vendor may not have the time, technical knowledge or resources to build an e-commerce operation independently.

Hyacinth Orji recognised that the problem was not necessarily that these businesses were resistant to technology.

Many simply lacked the infrastructure that would make digital participation practical.

His experience in business and logistics helped him see the opportunity from both sides: customers wanted convenience, while vendors needed visibility and a reliable way to fulfil orders.

Quick Waka emerged from that intersection.

What is Quick Waka?

Quick Waka is a Nigerian technology-enabled marketplace and logistics platform designed to help local businesses connect with customers online.

Rather than expecting informal businesses to build sophisticated digital operations themselves, the platform brings several parts of the commerce journey together.

Quick Waka supports businesses with functions including:

• Vendor onboarding and product listings
• Online product discovery
• Order management
• Logistics coordination
• Last-mile delivery
• Digital access for traditionally offline businesses

The model is particularly relevant to businesses such as restaurants, pharmacies, grocery retailers and other local merchants.

By combining a marketplace with logistics, Quick Waka addresses two connected problems at once: how customers find local businesses and how businesses get products to those customers.

That integration matters.

An online storefront is of limited value if a vendor cannot reliably fulfil an order. Similarly, delivery infrastructure is less useful if customers cannot easily discover the businesses behind it.

Quick Waka is designed around the full journey.

Making digital commerce practical for small businesses

For a large retailer, moving online can involve dedicated technology teams, digital marketing budgets, inventory systems and established delivery networks.

A small neighbourhood business operates differently.

The owner may be managing sales, inventory, suppliers and customers simultaneously. Adding a complex e-commerce system to that workload can create another barrier rather than solve one.

This is where Hyacinth Orji’s approach becomes particularly relevant.

Quick Waka is built to reduce the amount of digital infrastructure individual vendors need to create and manage themselves.

Instead of asking every small business to build its own online ecosystem, the platform creates shared infrastructure through which multiple vendors can participate in digital commerce.

That model has implications beyond convenience.

It can give businesses greater visibility, expose them to customers outside their immediate physical location and introduce more structured processes for receiving and fulfilling orders.

For entrepreneurs operating on thin margins, those incremental efficiencies can matter.

The Tony Elumelu Foundation helped move Quick Waka from vision to growth

Building a marketplace that connects businesses, customers and logistics requires more than a good idea.

It requires capital to build technology, test assumptions and develop operations—and business knowledge to determine which opportunities are worth pursuing.

Through the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme, Hyacinth Orji received US$5,000 in seed capital, alongside business training, mentorship and access to the Foundation’s pan-African entrepreneurial network.

The support gave Quick Waka additional resources to strengthen its operations and develop its technology as it pursued a larger market opportunity.

For Orji, the programme also provided access to a wider community of African entrepreneurs navigating many of the same challenges: limited resources, evolving markets and the need to build businesses capable of creating sustainable value.

The Foundation’s contribution sits within the broader journey, but the business remains driven by Orji’s understanding of the problem and his determination to solve it.

Quick Waka is building a bridge between offline and online commerce

The impact of digitalisation is often measured through transactions, platforms and user numbers.

For Hyacinth Orji, however, there is another measure worth considering: how many businesses that were previously invisible online can now be discovered digitally.

Quick Waka has supported hundreds of registered vendors and reached thousands of users, according to the business information provided.

That represents more than another group of online sellers.

It represents businesses gaining access to a new customer channel.

The platform’s logistics operations also create economic opportunities for people involved in delivery, field operations, customer support and digital business management.

In this way, the company’s model extends beyond e-commerce.

It connects different parts of a local commercial ecosystem—vendors, customers and delivery operators—through a common digital infrastructure.

The entrepreneur behind the platform understands the businesses he wants to serve

The strongest digital products often begin with an observation about human behaviour.

For Orji, that observation was that many local businesses already had something customers wanted.

The missing piece was often the ability to be found and served through the channels customers were increasingly using.

A local food vendor might have loyal customers but little online visibility. A neighbourhood pharmacy might serve its surrounding community but lack a digital ordering channel. A small retailer might have useful products but no efficient way of reaching customers beyond passing foot traffic.

These are not necessarily failures of entrepreneurship.

They are infrastructure gaps.

Quick Waka is Orji’s attempt to close some of those gaps without requiring small businesses to abandon the way they already operate.

The ambition is not to replace Nigeria’s informal markets.

It is to give them another layer.

Why Hyacinth Orji’s work matters

Digital transformation can create new opportunities, but it can also widen existing inequalities if access to technology is limited to businesses that already have capital, skills and infrastructure.

That makes digital inclusion an important part of Nigeria’s e-commerce story.

If online commerce is to become a meaningful driver of broad-based economic participation, small businesses need pathways into the ecosystem.

Hyacinth Orji is building one such pathway.

Through Quick Waka, he is working to make digital visibility, order management and delivery infrastructure more accessible to businesses that have traditionally depended on physical markets.

The significance extends beyond individual vendors.

When more small businesses can participate in digital commerce, customers gain more choice, local supply chains can become more connected and new economic activity can emerge around technology and logistics.

Looking ahead: bringing more of Nigeria’s everyday economy online

Nigeria’s digital economy is still evolving.

The next chapter will not be written only by large technology companies or established online retailers. It will also be shaped by entrepreneurs who understand how millions of everyday transactions actually happen.

Hyacinth Orji is building in that space.

His vision for Quick Waka is rooted in a simple but consequential proposition: the businesses that keep neighbourhoods running should have a place in the digital economy too.

The opportunity is therefore bigger than putting shops online.

It is about creating the infrastructure that allows local businesses to be discovered, ordered from and connected to customers without losing the strengths that made them valuable in the first place.

For Hyacinth Orji, the future of Nigerian commerce is not a choice between the traditional market and the digital marketplace.

It is the possibility of connecting the two.

The post Hyacinth Orji Is Bringing Nigeria’s Informal Markets Into the Digital Economy appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

David Mustapha believes technology can reduce the uncertainty that comes with online shopping. Despite photos, descriptions, and reviews, customers often struggle to accurately visualise products, leading to disappointment, returns, and lost trust for businesses.

As the Founder of XRNET, a Nigerian software company, he is using artificial intelligence, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and 3D technology to give online shoppers a more realistic way to experience products before making purchasing decisions. The company’s proposition is built around a simple idea: the more customers understand what they are buying, the more confidently they can buy it.

Who is David Mustapha?

David Mustapha is a Nigerian technology entrepreneur and the Founder of XRNET, an AI-powered software company focused on immersive e-commerce experiences.

Based in Lagos, Mustapha has a background in systems engineering and a history of building technology businesses. Before XRNET, he co-founded OrderEat, an online food-ordering platform developed while he was a student at the University of Lagos.

That earlier experience exposed him to the practical challenges of building digital products around everyday consumer behaviour.

With XRNET, he turned his attention to another problem in online commerce: how to make digital shopping feel more trustworthy and more like the physical experience of examining a product before buying it.

What is XRNET?

XRNET is an AI-powered e-commerce technology platform that uses augmented reality, virtual reality and 3D product visualisation to help customers interact with products digitally before purchasing them.

The platform allows businesses to create digital storefronts where customers can explore products in greater detail.

For physical products, immersive 3D and AR features can provide a clearer sense of appearance, scale and context. XRNET has also developed storefront tools that allow businesses to establish an online presence without having to build a traditional website from scratch.

This positions XRNET at the intersection of artificial intelligence, immersive technology and e-commerce—three rapidly evolving areas of the digital economy.

David Mustapha is tackling a fundamental problem with online shopping

The challenge XRNET addresses is not simply that online shopping lacks technology.

It is that online shopping can lack confidence.

When customers cannot physically examine an item, businesses have to work harder to communicate what they are selling. Product photographs, descriptions and reviews help, but they do not always answer the questions customers have before clicking “buy”.

David Mustapha’s approach is to make the digital experience more interactive.

Instead of simply looking at a photograph, customers can engage with a digital representation of the product. In an AR-enabled experience, for example, a shopper can potentially visualise an item within their own environment before completing a purchase.

The objective is not technology for technology’s sake. It is to give customers more information at the moment when they are deciding whether to spend their money.

From immersive shopping to digital storefronts for SMEs

XRNET’s opportunity extends beyond large retailers.

Small and medium-sized enterprises often face a different challenge: establishing a credible digital presence without the resources required to build and maintain complex e-commerce infrastructure.

XRNET’s storefront model is designed to lower that barrier.

The platform enables businesses to establish online stores while incorporating features such as immersive product displays. More recent XRNET offerings also include digital storefronts for service businesses, with tools for bookings, customer engagement and payments.

That makes the platform relevant to a broader category of African businesses moving from informal or predominantly offline commerce towards digital channels.

For these businesses, the question is no longer simply “How do I get online?”

It is becoming:

“How do I create an online experience that makes customers want to buy?”

The Tony Elumelu Foundation gave David Mustapha room to build

Building frontier technology requires more than an idea.

It requires capital, business discipline, mentorship and access to people who can challenge an entrepreneur’s assumptions.

In 2024, David Mustapha was selected for the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme, joining a cohort of African entrepreneurs supported through training, mentorship, seed capital and access to the Foundation’s pan-African entrepreneurial network. The Tony Elumelu Foundation’s 2025 Annual Report identifies XRNET as a Nigeria-based, TEF-funded software-development business.

For Mustapha, the support came at an important stage in XRNET’s development, providing resources that could be directed towards strengthening the company’s technology and commercial model.

The Tony Elumelu Foundation’s role is important precisely because it does not replace the entrepreneur’s vision. It gives founders like Mustapha additional resources to test, refine and pursue that vision.

David Mustapha’s early traction shows demand for immersive commerce

XRNET has already begun attracting businesses interested in experimenting with immersive digital commerce.

Third-party reporting has documented more than 55 SMEs using XRNET’s immersive AR and 3D online stores, while the company has also reported more than 50 sign-ups during its first month of launch.

The company has continued developing its product infrastructure, including its XRNET Storefront and software tools designed to make its technology more broadly usable by businesses.

These developments point towards a larger opportunity: making immersive commerce accessible beyond major retailers and technology-heavy brands.

For SMEs, the ability to combine a digital storefront with richer product experiences could become an important differentiator as more businesses compete for customers online.

Why David Mustapha’s work matters

The next phase of e-commerce will not be defined solely by how many people shop online.

It will be defined by how much they trust the experience.

That distinction matters in markets where consumers are increasingly discovering products through social media, mobile platforms and digital storefronts while businesses compete for attention in crowded online environments.

David Mustapha is betting that immersive technology can make that experience clearer.

His work also reflects a broader shift in African technology entrepreneurship: building products specifically around the realities of African consumers and SMEs rather than simply importing models developed elsewhere.

If successful, XRNET’s approach could help businesses communicate their products more effectively while giving consumers greater confidence before making purchases.

What comes next for David Mustapha and XRNET?

The technology behind immersive commerce is still evolving.

Artificial intelligence is becoming more capable. Smartphone cameras are increasingly sophisticated. Three-dimensional product modelling is becoming more accessible. And consumers are becoming more comfortable interacting with brands through digital environments.

For David Mustapha, that convergence creates an opportunity to make immersive shopping a normal part of e-commerce rather than an expensive novelty.

The ambition extends beyond making online shopping more visually impressive.

It is about making it more informative.

Because the future of e-commerce may not belong to the businesses with the most products or the loudest advertising. It may belong to those that can answer the customer’s most basic question before the transaction happens:

“Can I trust what I am seeing?”

Through XRNET, David Mustapha is building technology around that question—and betting that greater clarity can become one of the most valuable features in African e-commerce.

The post David Mustapha: 5 Ways AI Is Transforming E-Commerce In Nigeria appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

The problem is not innovation; it is access. Corporate procurement systems are often built for legacy suppliers, leaving new and agile ventures shut out before they even have a chance.

The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) has spent the last decade closing that gap. By funding, training, and mentoring more than 2.5 million young Africans with digital training via TEFConnect, the Tony Elumelu Foundation has created exactly what global companies need: a reliable, de-risked pipeline of suppliers who combine commercial viability with social impact.

Why Africa Matters for Corporate Procurement

The case for an Africa-first sourcing strategy goes far beyond corporate social responsibility:

1. Risk diversification: The pandemic and recent geopolitical shocks have highlighted the dangers of over-reliance on a few supply hubs. Africa’s regional spread offers resilience against global disruption.
2. ESG alignment: African ventures are already innovating in sustainability. From waste recycling into construction materials to solar-powered energy access, partnerships here directly advance environmental, social, and governance metrics.
3. Market insight: Africa’s unique conditions have generated hyper-local innovations — in logistics, agritech, and fintech — that global corporates can integrate for competitive advantage.
4. Growth frontier: Integrating African suppliers are not just about sourcing; it builds brand loyalty and local trust in some of the world’s fastest-growing consumer markets.

From Seed Support to Scalable Supplier

The Tony Elumelu Foundation’s approach goes beyond seed funding. Alumni are trained to meet the governance, reporting, and operational standards that corporates expect.

This transforms what was once a scattered field of ventures into a structured pipeline. Corporations do not need to start from scratch; they can engage directly with TEF-prepared businesses that are already demonstrating traction.

A Case in Point: Expendo Mobility

Michael Wambugu, a 2019 TEF beneficiary from Kenya, founded Expendo Mobility, a Nairobi-based company supporting the continent’s transport gig economy. His venture provides financial and health solutions to boda boda riders, couriers, and other mobility workers who form the backbone of Africa’s logistics networks.

Through Expendo Mobility, riders gain access to:

• Discounted consumables such as fuel, lubricants, and spare parts to reduce operating costs.
• Affordable microinsurance products like “Hosi Bill,” which covers medical expenses.
• Embedded finance solutions, integrated with SACCOs, to simplify deposits, withdrawals, and credit.
• Reliable vehicle servicing, ensuring safety and productivity on the road.

With the Tony Elumelu Foundation training and seed funding, Michael was able to formalise his model, build market traction, and position Expendo as a scalable partner for corporates reliant on last-mile logistics. For procurement teams, this is not simply a small vendor; it is a company providing efficiency, resilience, and impact within a sector that underpins supply chains across Africa.

The Broader Picture

Expendo Mobility is one of thousands of stories across the TEF network. From food processing ventures in Nigeria to clean water solutions in South Africa, TEF alumni are proving that the continent has both the talent and the discipline to deliver at scale. Each venture represents not just an individual success, but also a piece of a larger puzzle: the construction of an Africa-first venture pipeline.

Corporate leaders have long spoken of the need for more inclusive supply chains. The Tony Elumelu Foundation has already built the bridge. Its alumni are trained, vetted, and impact driven. For companies serious about diversifying procurement and tapping into Africa’s growth, the answer is not to wonder where the partners are. They exist. They are Tony Elumelu entrepreneurs.

The pipeline is ready. The next step is corporate action.

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Following months of intensive business management training and a competitive national pitching exercise, the entrepreneurs have each been awarded US$3,000 in non-refundable seed capital to launch or strengthen their ventures. Their selection marks another important milestone in the Aguka Ideation Entrepreneurship Programme, an initiative delivered through a partnership between the Tony Elumelu Foundation, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Ministry of Youth and Arts of Rwanda, and the European Union. Together, the partners are committed to equipping Rwanda’s next generation of entrepreneurs with the knowledge, mentorship, networks and financial support needed to build businesses that create lasting economic and social value.

For every entrepreneur who participated in the programme, the journey represents far more than receiving seed capital. It is the culmination of months of learning, refining ideas, testing business models, and demonstrating the resilience required to build an enterprise capable of solving real problems.

In many ways, this is what the Aguka Ideation Entrepreneurship Programme was designed to achieve.

Derived from the Kinyarwanda word “Aguka,” meaning “Arise,” the programme reflects a shared ambition to empower Rwanda’s youth to transform innovative ideas into thriving businesses. While access to finance remains an important barrier for many early-stage entrepreneurs, the programme recognises that sustainable businesses require much more than capital alone. Entrepreneurs are equipped with practical business management skills, expert mentorship, business development support and access to one of Africa’s largest entrepreneurship ecosystems, ensuring they are prepared to navigate the realities of building and growing a successful enterprise.

The newest cohort joins an expanding community of entrepreneurs developing solutions across sectors central to Rwanda’s development ambitions, including agriculture, technology, healthcare, education and renewable energy. These are sectors where innovation has the potential not only to improve lives but also to generate employment, strengthen local value chains and contribute to long-term economic resilience.

Their selection also reflects the programme’s emphasis on investing in entrepreneurs at the earliest stages of their journey. By supporting founders when their businesses are still taking shape, the Aguka Ideation Entrepreneurship Programme helps transform ideas into viable enterprises before traditional sources of financing become available. It is an approach that enables entrepreneurs to build stronger business foundations while increasing their potential for long-term growth.

This philosophy mirrors the Tony Elumelu Foundation’s broader commitment to entrepreneurship as the most sustainable pathway to economic transformation across Africa. Since its establishment, the Foundation has championed the belief that when entrepreneurs receive the right support, they create opportunities not only for themselves but also for their communities through innovation, job creation and inclusive economic growth. Across the continent, entrepreneurs supported by the Foundation have gone on to build businesses that generate employment, strengthen local economies and inspire the next generation of business leaders.

The Aguka Ideation Entrepreneurship Programme demonstrates how strategic partnerships can accelerate this vision. By bringing together the expertise and shared commitment of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, UNDP, the Ministry of Youth and Arts of Rwanda and the European Union, the initiative creates a comprehensive support system that extends well beyond financial assistance. It combines technical knowledge, mentorship, institutional collaboration and entrepreneurial networks to give young founders the confidence and capability to succeed.

This year’s milestone also builds upon a growing legacy.

Before welcoming this latest cohort, the programme had already empowered 300 young Rwandan entrepreneurs, providing US$900,000 in cumulative seed capital alongside business management training, mentorship and entrepreneurial support. With another 100 entrepreneurs now joining the programme, the Aguka initiative continues to demonstrate how sustained investment in young innovators can strengthen Rwanda’s entrepreneurial ecosystem while creating opportunities for future generations.

Behind each selected entrepreneur is a story of ambition, perseverance, and possibility.

Some are developing technologies to solve everyday challenges. Others are reimagining agriculture, improving access to healthcare, creating educational solutions, or advancing clean energy innovations. While their ideas differ, they share a common determination to build businesses that respond to local challenges while contributing to Rwanda’s economic future.

As these entrepreneurs begin the next phase of their journey, they also become part of a wider pan-African network of business founders connected through the Tony Elumelu Foundation. This network provides ongoing opportunities for collaboration, learning and peer exchange, reinforcing the understanding that entrepreneurship flourishes when innovators learn from one another and grow together.

The impact of programmes such as Aguka extends far beyond individual enterprises. Every business launched has the potential to create jobs, stimulate local markets, strengthen supply chains, and encourage further innovation within communities. Every entrepreneur empowered represents another opportunity to build inclusive prosperity from the ground up.

For Rwanda, investing in entrepreneurs is ultimately an investment in the country’s future competitiveness. For Africa, it reinforces a growing recognition that young entrepreneurs are among the continent’s greatest assets, capable of driving innovation, creating employment, and shaping resilient economies.

The 100 entrepreneurs celebrated today are only at the beginning of their journey.

Armed with world-class business training, mentorship, a supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem and the confidence that comes from earning the trust of partners who believe in their potential, they now have the opportunity to transform bold ideas into businesses that create lasting impact.

Because when entrepreneurs are equipped with the right tools, they do more than build successful businesses, they create jobs, strengthen communities and help shape a more prosperous future for Rwanda.

The post Tony Elumelu Foundation Announces 100 Rwandan Entrepreneurs for Aguka Ideation Programme appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

What is Africa’s greatest economic asset? 

For decades, the answers have been familiar. Oil. Gas. Minerals. Arable land. Strategic geography. Foreign investment. 

Yet as the continent navigates an era defined by artificial intelligence (AI), climate change, demographic shifts and rapid technological disruption, another answer is becoming impossible to ignore. 

Africa’s greatest asset is its entrepreneurs. 

Not because it sounds inspiring. Because the evidence increasingly points in that direction. 

This conviction sits at the heart of a powerful message delivered by our CEO, Somachi Chris-Asoluka, to African entrepreneurs on this year’s Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSME) Day; a message that serves as both a celebration of entrepreneurial resilience and a challenge to how we think about Africa’s economic future. 

In a world of accelerating change, Soamchi’s message returned to a simple but profound truth: behind every successful economy are entrepreneurs who dared to begin. 

Entrepreneurs who saw opportunities where others saw obstacles. 

Entrepreneurs who created value where others saw limitations. 

Entrepreneurs who built businesses that became engines of jobs, growth, and prosperity. 

Across Africa today, millions of such entrepreneurs are at work. They are farmers improving productivity, manufacturers strengthening local supply chains, creatives exporting African culture to global audiences, healthcare innovators expanding access to care, and tech founders developing solutions tailored to African realities. 

Though they operate in different sectors and markets, they share one thing in common: They form the backbone of Africa’s economies. 

And yet, despite their enormous contribution, MSMEs are too often treated as a secondary part of economic development conversations rather than what they truly are: essential economic infrastructure. 

The world’s most prosperous economies were not built by governments alone. They were built by businesses. More specifically, by generations of entrepreneurs who transformed ideas into enterprises, enterprises into industries, and industries into national growth. 

Africa is no different. 

This is why Somachi Chris-Asoluka’s assertion that “Africa’s transformation will not be driven by aid alone. It will not be driven by governments alone. It will be driven by entrepreneurs who create value, solve problems, and generate shared prosperity” resonates so strongly. 

It challenges a narrative that has long defined conversations about African development. 

For years, development has often been viewed through the lens of external support, institutional interventions, and public-sector programmes. These remain important. But sustainable prosperity requires something more enduring: productive businesses capable of creating jobs, generating income, and strengthening communities. 

Entrepreneurs make that possible. 

The Tony Elumelu Foundation’s experience over the past decade and a half offers compelling proof. 

What began as a bold belief in entrepreneurship as a catalyst for economic transformation has evolved into the largest philanthropic commitment to entrepreneurship on the African continent. Today, the Tony Elumelu Foundation has empowered over 27,000 entrepreneurs across all 54 African countries, trained over 2.5 million Africans through TEFConnect, our proprietary digital platform, and disbursed over $130 million in seed capital. 

But perhaps the most telling figures are not the inputs. They are the outcomes. 

Businesses backed by the Tony Elumelu Foundation have generated more than $4.2 billion in revenue and created over 1.5 million jobs. 

Pause on those numbers for a moment. 

Behind every dollar generated is a business serving a market need. Behind every job created is an individual with an income, a family with greater stability, and a community with stronger economic prospects. 

Together, these entrepreneurs have positively impacted more than 4 million households and contributed to lifting over 2.1 million Africans above the poverty line. 

More than statistics, these numbers represent livelihoods transformed, opportunities unlocked and futures reshaped. 

They also reinforce a fact the Tony Elumelu Foundation has long understood: when African entrepreneurs are given access to training, networks, mentorship, and capital, they deliver results that extend far beyond individual business success. 

They create ripple effects that strengthen entire economies. 

This year’s MSME Day theme—“Empowering MSMEs through Innovation and Sustainable Industrial Development”—could hardly be more relevant. 

The businesses shaping Africa’s future today are operating in an increasingly complex environment. Artificial intelligence is changing how work is done. Climate pressures are forcing industries to adapt. Consumer expectations are evolving rapidly. Market opportunities emerge and disappear faster than ever before. 

Yet entrepreneurs remain uniquely positioned to navigate these shifts. 

Adaptability has always been their advantage. 

When markets change, they pivot. When challenges emerge, they innovate. When resources are limited, they find creative ways to build. 

This resilience is one of the defining characteristics of African entrepreneurship. 

Every day, entrepreneurs across the continent confront obstacles that would discourage many others, including limited access to financing, infrastructure gaps, regulatory complexities and economic uncertainty. Yet they continue to innovate, create and grow. 

As our CEO acknowledged in her message, their resilience deserves recognition. 

Not simply because perseverance is admirable, but because it is economically significant. 

Every entrepreneur who starts and sustains a business contributes to a larger story of African progress. Every enterprise that scales creates jobs. Every local solution reduces dependence on imported answers. Every thriving business strengthens the foundations of shared prosperity. 

The real significance of MSMEs, therefore, lies not only in their numbers but in their collective impact. 

They are often the first employers in emerging communities. They drive local commerce. They encourage innovation. They nurture talent. They unlock opportunities in places where few previously existed. 

In short, they do the essential work of nation-building. 

That is why MSME Day should be more than an annual celebration. It should serve as a reminder of what has always been true and what the evidence increasingly confirms. 

Africa’s future will not be built in boardrooms alone. It will not be secured through policy declarations alone. It will not be achieved through aid alone. 

It will be built by millions of entrepreneurs solving problems, creating value and generating opportunity where it is needed most. 

The Tony Elumelu Foundation’s journey (and the outcomes achieved by the entrepreneurs it supports) demonstrates what becomes possible when that belief is backed with action. 

TEF’s bet on African entrepreneurs is paying off. 

Not only in revenue generated or jobs created, important as those measures are. 

It is paying off in stronger communities. More resilient economies. Greater self-reliance. And a growing generation of entrepreneurs proving that Africa’s greatest resource is not what lies beneath the ground, but the ingenuity, determination and ambition of its people. 

That may be the most important lesson from this year’s MSME Day. 

The future belongs to those who create it. 

And across Africa, entrepreneurs are already doing exactly that. 

The post $4.2 Billion in Revenue. 1.5 Million Jobs. Why The Tony Elumelu Foundation’s Bet on African Entrepreneurs Is Paying Off appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

رأس مال تأسيسي غير قابل للاسترداد بقيمة 5,000 دولار أمريكي، وتدريب عالمي المستوى، وإرشاد لأجرأ المؤسسين في أفريقيا

أكثر من 24,000 رائد أعمال ممولين، و2.5 مليون شخص تم تدريبهم، و1.5 مليون وظيفة تم خلقها، وإيرادات بلغت 4.2 مليار دولار أمريكي منذ عام 2015

لاغوس، نيجيريا – 1 يناير 2026 – أعلنت مؤسسة توني إلوميلو (TEF) فتح باب التقديم لبرنامج TEF لريادة الأعمال لعام 2026، داعيةً روّاد الأعمال الطموحين من جميع الدول الأفريقية الـ54 إلى التقديم الآن عبر منصة TEFConnect.

يحصل المتقدمون الناجحون على رأس مال تأسيسي غير قابل للاسترداد بقيمة 5,000 دولار أمريكي، إلى جانب تدريب مكثف في مجال الأعمال، وإرشاد، ووصول مباشر إلى أكبر شبكة لريادة الأعمال في أفريقيا.

منذ عام 2015، قام البرنامج بتمويل أكثر من 24,000 رائد أعمال، وتدريب 2.5 مليون أفريقي، وخلق أكثر من 1.5 مليون وظيفة، وتوليد إيرادات تجاوزت 4.2 مليار دولار أمريكي، مما يثبت أن روّاد الأعمال الأفارقة قادرون على تحويل القارة.

كما يدفع البرنامج عجلة النمو الشامل، حيث تشكل النساء الآن 46% من روّاد أعمال TEF، وهي أعلى نسبة مشاركة نسائية يسجلها برنامج بهذا الحجم.

وفي حديثه عن إطلاق برنامج 2026، قال مؤسس مؤسسة توني إلوميلو ورئيس مجلس إدارة مجموعة Heirs Holdings، توني أو. إلوميلو، CFR:

> «أعظم أصول أفريقيا هم شعبها. أفريقيا لا تحتاج إلى مساعدات؛ أفريقيا تحتاج إلى استثمار، في البنية التحتية، وفي المؤسسات، ولكن الأهم من ذلك في شبابنا.

من خلال مؤسسة توني إلوميلو، نُظهر أنه عندما يتم تمكين روّاد الأعمال، فإنهم يخلقون فرص عمل، ويدفعون النمو، ويحوّلون المجتمعات.

روّاد الأعمال هم مستقبل أفريقيا».

باب التقديم لبرنامج TEF لريادة الأعمال لعام 2026 مفتوح من 1 يناير إلى 1 مارس 2026 عبر الموقع www.TEFConnect.com.

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أثر TEF

اضغط هنا للاطلاع على بيانات على مستوى الدول حول روّاد الأعمال الشباب الذين تم دعمهم من خلال تمويل وتدريب وإرشاد TEF في كل دولة أفريقية. ولمعرفة الأثر التحويلي للمؤسسة في جميع أنحاء القارة، يُرجى زيارة صفحة الأثر والتقارير السنوية للمؤسسة. وللاستماع مباشرة إلى تجارب روّاد الأعمال أنفسهم، تفضل بزيارة صفحة قصص النجاح الخاصة بـ TEF.

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نبذة عن مؤسسة توني إلوميلو

مؤسسة توني إلوميلو (TEF) هي المؤسسة الخيرية الرائدة في تمكين جيل جديد من روّاد الأعمال الأفارقة، ودفع القضاء على الفقر، وتحفيز خلق فرص العمل، وتعزيز النمو الاقتصادي الشامل في جميع الدول الأفريقية الـ54. ويستند عمل المؤسسة إلى مفهوم «الأفريقية الرأسمالية» (Africapitalism)، وهو الإيمان بأن القطاع الخاص الأفريقي هو المحرّك الأكثر فاعلية للتنمية طويلة الأجل.

وقد مكّنت القدرة القوية لـ TEF على الوصول إلى روّاد الأعمال عبر مختلف المناطق والقطاعات من إقامة شراكات مبتكرة مع الاتحاد الأوروبي (EU)، وبرنامج الأمم المتحدة الإنمائي (UNDP)، واللجنة الدولية للصليب الأحمر (ICRC)، وحكومة الولايات المتحدة عبر مؤسسة التنمية الأفريقية الأمريكية (USADF)، ومنظمة دول أفريقيا والكاريبي والمحيط الهادئ (OACPS)، ووكالة التنمية الفرنسية (AFD)، ومؤسسة التمويل الإنمائي الألمانية (DEG)، والوكالة الألمانية للتعاون الدولي (GIZ)، والبنك الأفريقي للتنمية (AfDB)، وشركة جوجل، ومنظمة الأمم المتحدة للطفولة (اليونيسف) – مبادرة جيل بلا حدود (GenU)، ومؤسسة خليفة بن زايد آل نهيان (KBZF).

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Capital d’amorçage non remboursable de 5 000 USD, formation de classe mondiale et mentorat pour les fondateurs les plus audacieux d’Afrique

Plus de 24 000 entrepreneurs financés, 2,5 millions formés, 1,5 million d’emplois créés, 4,2 milliards de dollars de revenus générés depuis 2015

Lagos, Nigeria – 1er janvier 2026 – La Fondation Tony Elumelu (TEF) a ouvert les candidatures pour le Programme d’Entrepreneuriat TEF 2026, appelant les jeunes fondateurs ambitieux des 54 pays africains à postuler dès maintenant sur TEFConnect.

Les candidats retenus reçoivent 5 000 $ US en capital d’amorçage non remboursable, une formation intensive en affaires, un mentorat et un accès direct au plus grand réseau d’entrepreneuriat d’Afrique.

Depuis 2015, le programme a financé plus de 24 000 entrepreneurs, formé 2,5 millions d’Africains, créé plus de 1,5 million d’emplois et généré plus de 4,2 milliards de dollars de revenus, prouvant que les entrepreneurs africains peuvent transformer le continent.

Le programme stimule également une croissance inclusive, les femmes représentant désormais 46 % des entrepreneurs du TEF – le taux de participation féminine le plus élevé enregistré par un programme de cette envergure.

S’exprimant sur le lancement de 2026, Tony O. Elumelu, CFR, fondateur de TEF et Président du groupe Heirs Holdings, a déclaré :

“Le plus grand atout de l’Afrique, c’est notre peuple. L’Afrique n’a pas besoin d’aide; l’Afrique a besoin d’investissements, dans les infrastructures, dans les institutions, mais surtout dans notre jeunesse.

À travers la Fondation Tony Elumelu, nous montrons que lorsque les entrepreneurs sont responsabilisés, ils créent des emplois, stimulent la croissance et transforment les communautés.

Les entrepreneurs sont l’avenir de l’Afrique.

Les candidatures au Programme Entrepreneuriat TEF 2026 sont ouvertes du 1er janvier au 1er mars 2026 sur www.TEFConnect.com.

Impact du TEF

Cliquez ici pour consulter des données nationales sur les jeunes entrepreneurs soutenus par le financement, la formation et le mentorat du TEF dans chaque pays africain. Pour explorer l’impact transformateur du TEF à travers le continent, visitez la page d’impact et les rapports annuels de la Fondation. Pour entendre directement les entrepreneurs eux-mêmes, visitez la page TEF Success Stories.

À propos de la Fondation Tony Elumelu

La Fondation Tony Elumelu (TEF) est la principale organisation philanthropique qui donne du pouvoir à une nouvelle génération d’entrepreneurs africains, favorise l’éradication de la pauvreté, catalyse la création d’emplois et fait progresser une croissance économique inclusive dans les 54 pays africains. Le travail du TEF est enraciné dans l’Africapitalisme ; la conviction que le secteur privé africain est le moteur le plus efficace du développement à long terme.

La solide capacité du TEF à atteindre des entrepreneurs dans toutes les zones géographiques et tous secteurs lui a permis de mener des partenariats innovants avec l’Union Européenne (UE), le Programme des Nations Unies pour le Développement (PNUD), le Comité International de la Croix-Rouge (CICR), le gouvernement américain via la Fondation des États-Unis pour le Développement de l’Afrique (USADF), l’Organisation des États d’Afrique, des Caraïbes et du Pacifique (OEACP), l’Agence Française de Développement (AFD), l’Institution allemande de financement du développement (DEG), l’Agence allemande de coopération internationale (GIZ), la Banque Africaine de Développement (BAD), Google, le Fonds des Nations Unies pour l’enfance (UNICEF), Generation Unlimited (GenU) et la Fondation Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (KBZF).

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