To mitigate the effects of this, the continent will need to create more jobs, policies and implementation plans that will allow for a more competitive private sector that favours business growth, job creation, and the stimulation of African economies.

For a long while, in dealing with conflict-prone areas and the effects of extreme poverty, Africa has had to depend on foreign aid, and the need for this remains imperative to reduce immediate suffering. However, many have begun to recognise the need to move away from aid for long term positive impact and a more sustainable model of developing the continent.

Africa desperately needs long-term investments in the private sector- the infrastructure, agriculture and manufacturing industries, in order to address growing food insecurity, boost incentives and create the necessary employment opportunities for African youth.

Foreign aid, so far, has done little to improve the living conditions of people at the bottom of the social strata who live below the poverty line.

Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Tony O. Elumelu continues to assert that a better approach to the cycle of dependency created by the approach of foreign aid to Africa’s problems, is to fund private, for-profit ventures.

Mr. Elumelu’s philosophy has become increasingly popular on the African continent, where he is acknowledged as the pioneer of a private-sector-led approach to accelerating development.

In 2020, at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) conference held in Japan, he reiterated his stance on Africa’s huge return on investment, “Africa is one of the world’s viable destinations for investment. Our huge population, of nearly 1.3 billion people, creates one of the most attractive markets anywhere in the world.”

Based on this philosophy, The Tony Elumelu Foundation was set up to create more successful African business leaders and support the overall economy. So far, the Foundation has funded over 9000 entrepreneurs, and Mr Elumelu also continues to invest in businesses that add value to their local communities and the society at large.

“Global advocacy is that in the 21st century, you must engage with Africa – not from outside, but from within and from the point of view of what we consider important,” Mr Elumelu said in an interview on Arise TV’s The Morning Show earlier this month.

“We appreciate aid, but we know more importantly that we want to become fishermen.

“We all have a role to play in the development of our continent and we do so by investing in critical sectors of the African economy: infrastructure, power, railways.

“Investing long-term in critical sectors creates economic prosperity for you the investor and at the same time creates social wealth and prosperity and it becomes a win-win for everyone.

Creating policies and incentives that show progress rather than failure is one step in the direction of converting Aid into trade, thereby inspiring citizens to become creators of wealth and enterprise so that they can live from their activities.

The post Playing the Long Game: An Africa Beyond Aid appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

It has been predicted that by the next decade, more than 50% of all jobs around the world will be STEM-based (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Newsflash: It’s already happening! In the midst of lockdowns and social distancing brought on by the pandemic, we all relied exclusively on technology to stay connected to our employers, colleagues, associates and loved ones. Health-care workers continue to remain at the forefronts, supporting and caring for millions, while scientists are hard at work testing, finalising and rolling out vaccinations for public use.

Indeed, if the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that the future is undoubtedly stem-based and it’s imperative that the future generation prioritise and lean into STEM education.

Meet 2019 TEF Entrepreneur from Tunisia, Haythem Dabbabi, whoin this interview, shares how his company, Evocraft, is helping young children and adults become more familiar with STEM, robotics and software programming using fun non-traditional approaches. So far, they have taught and impacted over 200 children.

On changes made so far since the start of Evocraft:
It was a huge change for us going through the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme. Before the programme, we just had a concept, which was just finding the robot, but during the programme, we found multiple services to explore with the robot itself. The TEF seed capital combined with the very important advice from the training helped us implement these new additions.

As a result of the TEF coaching, we have also made significant changes to our business model and operations – This has helped us essentially expand to more schools and sell more robots everywhere. 

Our future plans include expanding more on the national territory, to reach more schools.

On what motivates and drives him

I will say in a nutshell, seeing the change across Africa that we are driving using the robots. Because, what drove me to start creating robots in Africa was seeing developed countries use certain technologies for children, and I wondered why we did not have such in our own countries.

I saw the potential in our countries and after I started, I saw how much really changed and the opportunities it gave to those kids. It initially started like that but now, it’s like my purpose in life is to help other people’s development skills.

On key elements for starting and running a successful business
Understanding your customers’ needs, that’s the most important and the key that will help you succeed in your business.

Once you understand what your customers really need, and you meet that need with your product or service, you will be successful.

On who inspires him
Elon Musk. He has very crazy ideas and when he tells people he would do something, he would do it! And, that’s a very important thing.

On the most rewarding part of running his business
The passion. Waking up in the morning and really having fun every day.
 
How he encountered TEF

I found the TEF page on Facebook and started reading about it and I applied and gladly I was accepted, and it helped us a lot to grow.
 
On Support received
We usually were focused on the technical aspects more than the commercial arm of the business and that changed a lot during the TEF Programme. At the programme, we got a lot of ideas and perspectives we weren’t thinking about before.

On what he hopes to see happen soon for small businesses in his country

Taxes. If you are working in the technology field, you would need to pay a lot of taxes. We usually don’t have a culture of working on technology products in our country and we are just starting now, so some rules need to be adjusted for people like us. One of those is taxation, especially in my country.

Advice to other entrepreneurs who are just starting out
I would say believe in yourself, even when other people don’t believe in that project.

I know a lot of entrepreneurs that have started a project, and in the middle of that project, they keep hearing it’s not going to work. Once they abandon that project, they see other people working on the same project and succeed.

You don’t want to hear “people”, you want to hear your customers and the market. If the market refuses it, you need to change something. If the market accepts, it is telling you that you need to work hard on it.
 

Current Project(s)
Right now, we are working on something called TechBus.

It’s an initiative where the Techbus goes to rural areas to teach kids about software development and programming. We are focusing a lot on teaching STEM to girls in those regions because a lot of girls in there, don’t finish schooling.

We discovered that most of the girls are passionate about technology and they most likely understand even better than those in other areas that have more advanced technology. So, we started this initiative one month ago where we go to different schools in those underserved areas to see what we can change, and how we can give more opportunities to those kids around there.

On Future Plans
I hope we get to be on an international level. We hope to be in all the African markets–we have been engaging people in Egypt, Morocco and we have few contacts also from Nigeria to initiate partnerships in order to sell our robots there.

The post “My purpose in life is to help other people’s development skills,”- Haythem Dabbabi appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

The Ambassador of Belgium to Nigeria, H.E. Ambassador Daniel Bertrand, presented the royal decoration on Sunday, November 15 – the Belgian King’s Day and a symbolic national day of celebration, at the Belgian House in Abuja, with public and private sector leaders witnessing the ceremony.

Mr Elumelu has been responsible for initiatives creating millions of jobs and employment for young Africans across the continent, through his philanthropy, The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF).  The Foundation’s flagship intervention, the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, is a 10-year, US$100 million commitment to identify, train, mentor, and fund 10,000 young African entrepreneurs across 54 African countries.  Over 9,600 young Africans are current beneficiaries, just six years since its inception.  In addition to its own significant programme, the Foundation partners with institutions such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to bring its proven methodology to an even broader universe.  Mr Elumelu believes that youth entrepreneurship has the potential to tackle global challenges such as forced migration, poverty, and hunger.

Mr Elumelu’s concept of Africapitalism is redefining national development, making the case for the critical role that the private sector must play in transforming Africa.  Mr Elumelu’s businesses are present in 20 African countries and key international markets, with over 30,000 people in employment   His investments span power, financial services, healthcare, energy, technology, hospitality, and real estate.

Mr Elumelu chairs family-owned African investment company, Heirs Holdings; pan-African financial services group, the United Bank for Africa (UBA), which operates across Africa, the United Kingdom, France and the only African bank with a commercial deposit taking licence in the United States, and Nigeria’s largest quoted conglomerate, Transcorp, whose subsidiaries include Transcorp Power, one of the leading generators of electricity in Nigeria and Transcorp Hotels Plc, Nigeria’s foremost hospitality brand.

Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), who was at the event, said: “Your Excellency Ambassador Daniel Bertrand, Ambassador of Belgium, let me, on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria, express our deepest appreciation to the King and Queen of Belgium for recognising the wonderful work of Mr. Tony Elumelu and what he is doing in our nation and on the continent of Africa by prioritising the empowerment of our youth”.

Commenting further, he said: “Mr. Elumelu, I listened to your priorities, which include; eradicating poverty, creating jobs and improving access to electricity and I can assure you that this was the motivation of President Muhammadu Buhari when he spoke about lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years.  When we identify somebody in the private sector who believes in that core mandate, the government has no option but to continue to support your endeavours, and I can assure you that on behalf of the President, you will continue to receive it.  Mustapha concluded, “As Nigerians, we stand here today very proud of the excellent work Mr Elumelu has done in Nigeria and on our continent and we ask him to do more”.

Earlier in 2019, Tony Elumelu was conferred with the National Productivity
Merit Award in Nigeria and in 2020, he featured in the Time 100 most
influential people in the world.

The post Belgium Confers Highest National Honour on African Philanthropist, Tony Elumelu appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

Le Programme des Nations Unies pour le développement (PNUD), le réseau mondial de développement des Nations Unies et la Fondation Tony Elumelu (TEF) – le principal champion de l’entrepreneuriat en Afrique – ont ouvert des candidatures au programme d’entrepreneuriat TEF-PNUD Mali pour former, encadrer et financer 10 000 jeunes entrepreneurs maliens sur une période de 3 ans, dans le cadre d’une importante intervention de relance économique au Mali.

Cette initiative d’autonomisation des jeunes fait partie du programme d’entrepreneuriat de la Fondation Tony Elumelu-PNUD, lancé en 2019 pour soutenir 100000 entrepreneurs à travers l’Afrique.

COMMENT S’INSCRIRE:

Le formulaire de candidature comprend quatre parties:

(1) Informations personnelles

(2) Informations commerciales

(3) Évaluation cognitive

(4) Section déclaration

Afin de garantir un processus de candidature transparent, tous les candidats devront avoir une pièce d’identité valide émise par le gouvernement et indiquer leur nom sur le formulaire de candidature sur TEFConnect exactement comme il apparaît sur la carte d’identité.

Tous les candidats seraient tenus de:

1. Remplissez tous les champs obligatoires dans le formulaire de candidature en ligne sur TEFConnect.

2. Joindre tous les documents demandés (carte d’identité valide et photo dans la tête)

3. Soumettez le formulaire

4. Télécharger les documents requis

5. Attendez-vous à des commentaires de la Fondation.

Remarque: TEFConnect n’est accessible que par un compte de messagerie unique. Il est important que tous les candidats s’inscrivent avec un e-mail auquel ils ont régulièrement accès.

DÉTAILS DU PROGRAMME:

La formation sera dispensée en différentes phases.

Les phases du programme d’entrepreneuriat TEF-PNUD Mali sont les suivantes:

1. Phase de Candidature:

Cela aura lieu du 1 novembre au 14 novembre. Une fois les candidatures fermées, les entrepreneurs éligibles seront présélectionnés pour la formation.

2. Phase de Formation et Phase de Mentorat

La formation se déroulera pendant 6 semaines en ligne et nécessite 10 heures d’engagement par semaine. Il y aura également des questions à choix multiples hebdomadaires pour suivre les performances. À la fin des 6 semaines, les entrepreneurs devront soumettre un plan d’affaires qui sera évalué par des experts externes. La date limite de soumission sera communiquée lors du programme d’orientation virtuelle obligatoire.

3. Phase du Plan d’Affaires

Le plan d’affaires avec les données financières et les jalons est un résultat clé pour cette formation. Tous les stagiaires termineront la formation avec un business plan bancable. Nous surveillerons les performances par rapport aux jalons du plan d’affaires. Les entrepreneurs auront les deux dernières semaines de formation pour finaliser cela.

4. Phase de Lancement

Sur la base de la performance des entrepreneurs pendant la formation et après la phase de plan d’affaires du programme, les stagiaires les plus performants seraient présélectionnés pour aller plus loin dans la phase de présentation du programme.

Le pitch sera virtuel et les entrepreneurs seront jugés en temps réel sur la base d’un ensemble de critères. Veuillez noter que cette phase est un autre résultat clé de ce programme de formation. Les entrepreneurs doivent franchir cette étape pour être éligibles au capital d’amorçage.

5. Phase de Capital d’Amorçage

Tous les entrepreneurs qui auront réussi toutes les étapes ci-dessus devront ouvrir des comptes d’entreprise et le capital d’amorçage sera versé sur ces comptes en mars 2021.

Démarrez votre application: www.tefconnect.com

CLICK HERE FOR ENGLISH VERSION

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE

The post Programme d’Entrepreneuriat TEF-PNUD au Mali (À quoi s’attendre) appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

To tackle this growing silent crisis, TEF Entrepreneur and Founder of Shine Space, Nora Chaynane founded Shine Space, Morroco’s foremost socio-educational initiative to bridge the knowledge gap and guide students to finding the right career path.

Shine space offers opportunities to students to prepare early and acquire technical and interpersonal skills, beyond what the schools provide, to meet the demands of today’s world of work.

Before the pandemic, Shine Space delivered over 10 workshops to offer these unique opportunities to students through offline trainings and online interactions.

In response to the Covid-19 panedmic, Nora and her team pivoted their operational strategy online. In addition to that, she collaborated with the small health centres and the Health Ministry to raise awareness and fight the negative social impact of Covid-19.

To further drive the vision of her company, Nora is set to launch Glisa bla VISA (A discussion without VISA) – Morocco’s first interactive platform aimed to improve the professional and conversational skills in foreign languages using focused groups (talk rooms), while discussing trending news.

Since the lockdown, Shine Space has hosted 20 workshops, supported 100 students with the in-person mentorship, and benefited over 2,500 participants.

Shine Space previously won the Social Impact Prize in the National Entrepreneurship Competition GPE in Kenitra and the American Student Leaders program.

Read more alumni stories here

Updated: The Tony Elumelu Foundation Launches Its 2024 TV Commercial

The post Nora Chaynane’s Business, Shine Space, Offers Students in Morocco Opportunities to Learn Early and Prepare for the Future appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

لكن مؤسسة توني أيلوميلو سوف تجهز بتدريب عبر TEFConnect مجانا ومشاركة مع ذوي الأمور والحكومات والمعاهد التمويلية التنمية لأجل تحريك التأييد المزيد للملتزمين الأفريقيين بعد أزمة فيروس كورونا. وتضيف TEFConnect إطلاعا حاسما حول الوباء لأجل صون صحة وأمان جميع الأفارقة مع إصدار أخبار تأثيرية من ملتزمين أفريقيين إلى غاية إحداث تبددات بارعة ضد هذه الوباء المنفجرة.

الصحة والأمان هما المقدمان عندنا، وترغب المؤسسة الجميع بأن يكونوا على الحذر وأن يلتزموا الوصايا الصحية الصادرة من التنظيم العالمي الصحي (WHO) والحكومات الدولية وسائر التنظيمات الصحية المناسبة.

للمزيد من الأخبار وما بقي من الخطوات التالية للمتميزين الذين قد قدموا استخداماتهم لبرنامج 2020، زوروا موضع الاسئلة المسؤولة عنها دائما (FAQs) على الموقع بضغط هنا.

Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu
CEO
مؤسسة توني أيلوميلو
لاغوس, Nigeria.

Click here for French , Arabic, Portuguese

The post الإعلان الاشتراكي تأجل مؤسسة توني أيلوميلو البرنامج التنظيمي TEF 2020 وملتقى TEF إلى عام 2021 appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

Dans l’intervalle, la Fondation Tony Elumelu offrira une formation gratuite sur TEFConnect tout en travaillant avec les décideurs, les gouvernements et les institutions de financement du développement pour catalyser un soutien supplémentaire aux entrepreneurs africains post-coronavirus.  TEFConnect hébergera également des informations essentielles sur la pandémie pour protéger la santé et la sécurité de tous les Africains, ainsi que des histoires d’impacts d’entrepreneurs africains créant des solutions innovantes pour lutter contre l’épidémie de coronavirus.

La santé et la sécurité sont notre priorité, et la Fondation Tony Elumelu exhorte tout le monde à rester en sécurité et à observer les précautions sanitaires définies par l’Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS), les gouvernements nationaux et d’autres organisations de santé pertinentes.

Pour plus d’informations, y compris les prochaines étapes pour les entrepreneurs qui ont postulé au programme 2020, veuillez visiter la foire aux questions (FAQ) en cliquant ICI.

Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu
CEO
Fondation Tony Elumelu
Lagos, Nigeria.

The post ANNONCE: La Fondation Tony Elumelu reporte le programme d’entrepreneuriat TEF 2020 et le forum TEF jusqu’en 2021 appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

Em resposta à atual crise resultante da pandemia de coronavírus, a filantropia africana focada no empreendedorismo, a Fundação Tony Elumelu, anunciou a difícil decisão de adiar a 6ª edição de seu Programa de Empreendedorismo e o Fórum do TEF até 2021. Dada a importância primordial de  saúde e segurança pública, infelizmente esse é o único curso de ação apropriado.

Enquanto isso, a Fundação Tony Elumelu fornecerá treinamento gratuito sobre o TEFConnect enquanto trabalha com formuladores de políticas, governos e instituições financeiras de desenvolvimento para catalisar apoio adicional aos empresários africanos após o coronavírus.  O TEFConnect também hospedará informações críticas em torno da pandemia para proteger a saúde e a segurança de todos os africanos, além de curar histórias de impacto de empreendedores africanos que criam soluções inovadoras para combater o surto de coronavírus.

Saúde e segurança são nossa prioridade, e a Fundação Tony Elumelu pede que todos fiquem seguros e observem as precauções de saúde descritas pela Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS), governos nacionais e outras organizações relevantes de saúde.

Para obter mais informações, incluindo as próximas etapas para os empreendedores que se inscreveram no programa 2020, visite as Perguntas frequentes clicando AQUI.

Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu
CEO
Fundação Tony Elumelu
Lagos, Nigeria.

Click here for French , Arabic, Portuguese

The post ANÚNCIO CORPORATIVO: Fundação Tony Elumelu adia o Programa de Empreendedorismo TEF 2020 e o Fórum TEF até 2021 appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

In response to the current crisis resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, the entrepreneurship-focused African philanthropy, the Tony Elumelu Foundation, has announced the difficult decision to postpone the 6th edition of its Entrepreneurship Programme and the TEF Forum until 2021. Given the paramount importance of public health and safety, this sadly is the only appropriate course of action.

In the meantime, the Tony Elumelu Foundation will provide free training on TEFConnect while working with policymakers, governments, and development finance institutions to catalyse additional support for African entrepreneurs post coronavirus. TEFConnect will also host critical information around the pandemic to safeguard the health and safety of all Africans, as well as curate impact stories from African entrepreneurs creating innovative solutions to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.

Health and safety are our priority, and the Tony Elumelu Foundation urges everyone to stay safe and observe the health precautions outlined by the World Health Organisation (WHO), national governments and other relevant health organisations. 

For further information, including the next steps for entrepreneurs who applied for the 2020 programme, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) by clicking HERE. 

Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu
CEO
The Tony Elumelu Foundation
Lagos, Nigeria.

Click here for French , Arabic, Portuguese

The post CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENT: Tony Elumelu Foundation Postpones 2020 TEF Entrepreneurship Programme and TEF Forum until 2021 appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

As we celebrate this year’s edition of International Women’s Day (IWD), the world needs more voices to contribute to the achievement of gender equality in order to tackle economic exclusion, discriminatory financial systems, limited participation in political and public life, lack of access to education, poor retention of girls in schools and discriminatory cultural practices and norms which limit women. This is the reason why this year’s IWD theme is “Each for Equal”; each person has a responsibility to make sure a future of equal opportunities is within reach.

Join the celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD) with these steps:

Participate in Events and Network with Other Female Professionals

For entrepreneurs, especially female entrepreneurs, International Women’s Day is an opportunity to find and network with female businesswomen and professionals who share similar experiences.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur or you’re just looking to expand your circle, it is a good idea to connect with female business owners this period. Several organisations hold events that focus on bringing women together during the celebration, and researching the top industry players in your field, or even beyond your area of interest, can help you forge networks that could be beneficial later.

If you cannot be physically present at these events, you can also network by participating in the groups, forums and online and on social media.

Lend your Time: Mentor other Professionals

If you are more established in your business/career, consider becoming a mentor to female entrepreneurs. Growing a business requires a wealth of knowledge and navigating local business environments can be a hassle for women who may know nothing or very little about what the business environment is really like.  

Women find it harder to establish strong mentorship relationships and this sometimes hinders business growth.

Sharing your knowledge and encouraging entrepreneurs you mentor with a lot of understanding, empathy and a positive tone is essential to building female entrepreneurs who do not back down in the face of challenges.

Female entrepreneurship in Africa will improve as more young women see relatable figures in top positions as more successful female entrepreneurs and organisations continue to progress and contribute to the eco system.

You can begin your mentorship journey by volunteering to be a mentor on the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme, or by signing up as a mentor on tefconnect.com and sharing your knowledge with entrepreneurs who may need it.

Partner with a Female-Owned Entrepreneurs and Businesses

Don’t shy away from partnering with a female entrepreneur without good reasons. Find ways to partner with other businesses that are owned by women. Do include women in speaking opportunities on panels and as thought leaders in industries.

When working with women, paying women equally, respecting their opinions, and respecting their authority as a leader goes a long way to ensure that the bias against individuals based on their gender is kicked out.

Give Female Entrepreneurs Opportunities to Thrive

There are internal self-limiting factors which hinder women from seeing progress in business. While men are usually conditioned to be competitive, to be leaders, to be assertive, girls and women are socialised to play a more passive role in society and usually end up not being able to articulately to ask for what they want.

Taking a step further this International Women’s Day, and after, to offer an opportunity to a female entrepreneur when they need it will ensure that more women excel in the workplaces and businesses.

If you know someone who can help a female entrepreneur, make the introduction. New contacts are extremely valuable to business owners. You may have someone in your network who can offer a female business owner the kind of resources they need for their.

Female entrepreneurs should also celebrate their little victories as a big deal instead of focusing solely on the big win. Celebrating little wins can prevent you from becoming demotivated and giving up on your goal.

Donate to Organisations Dedicated to Women’s Development

By supporting organisations that empower women, success can be achieved even faster. Volunteer by donating money, resources and time to organisations that empower women to excel.

By supporting women and women-owned businesses, you not only help the entrepreneur, you help to ensure that women all across the continent have access to better lives.

By following these steps this International Women’s Day, you can contribute to breaking down the barriers women face and also by listening and reflecting on issues that arise from conversations that impact women and the society at large. With collective effort, countries become more prosperous when women and women-led businesses are enabled to function at their fullest potential.

The post 5 Ways to Celebrate International Women’s Day as an African Entrepreneur appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.