Growing up in Giyani, Limpopo province in South Africa where water as a basic need is not easily accessible and even when the water is accessible it would not be clean. The problem of lack of access to clean water affects many households and can potentially cause illnesses. Additionally, businesses that depend on clean water to operate are affected. It affects their human resources (employees), which affects production, and which will ultimately have a direct effect on profitability. 

Jeslu Puro water decided to come up with a solution to use green methods to purify the water. As a start-up venture, they aim to be the solution by using a Green Water purification system that uses Macadamia nut filter to purify the water and will supply and distribute water to affected parties.

“I saw a need to establish a water purification company due to lack of access of clean water in my local community and the need to create jobs for young people while making profit contributing in the circular economy”

Since launching and being selected into the TEF Entrepreneurship programme, they have employed 2 permanent staff and 2 temporary staff. They are supplying funeral parlours around the town and have also managed to make an average of $800-1500 monthly.

“The mentors that were assigned by TEF were professional and very helpful. The Financial planning tools was very impactful for me as it helped me to have better understanding of figures, projections and at the end of day achieving profitability. This aspect made me understand that financials are quite pivotal to the success of any business. The seed funding came in handy as operations kickstarted after funding.”

In the coming months, they plan to expand the business to other provinces within South Africa. They have managed to secure space with innovation hub South Africa for product development and further research and innovation.

The post Impact Story: Jeslu Puro Water Pty Ltd appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

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.

Every entrepreneur is familiar with the feeling of trepidation just before taking the leap to begin a new business or become an entrepreneur: Do I have what it takes? Is it worth it? How do I start?

Getting through this stage usually requires validating ideas and exploring to understand more about their industry and product.

In this interview with the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Botswana entrepreneur Nametso Matlhaga, a 33-year-old young female entrepreneur with a decade of experience in jewelry, manufacturing, and retail in Botswana, shares her journey to becoming an entrepreneur in Africa.

Career Influences

Nametso loves to work on her own own terms, bringing her vision to life in order to create her own legacy. She grew up in a family of 3, surrounded by entrepreneurs, working under her uncle who had a jewelry business which I grew up working under during my school breaks.

“At the age of 18, I started off my first business which was a construction business. The business was making money but it was challenging to deal with both my employees and clients as I was relatively young and newly started an independent business,” she says.

Nametso later made the switch from construction to establish her own jewelry manufacturing business. “It has now been 10 years since I ventured into Matthan Jewlery, my jewelry business. I have always wanted to work in a sector that is dominated by men, that has been a great motivator to pursue and grow as an entrepreneur. From way back, I have known most of the jewelers to be men, so I wanted to change that record especially in my country and in Africa that also women can venture into jewelry manufacturing. I love my work though it does not allow me to do my nails.”

Getting into the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme

Nametso tells the story of how she met an alumni of the Foundation Mavis Nduchwa. In 2017, Mavis who was also selected for 2015 Cohort, was talking to entrepreneurs about the opportunities the Programme affords entrepreneurs in Kasane. It was here Nametso decided to try her luck, after which she made it to the 2018 cohort.

“I successfully completed the 2018 Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship training programme. It has been an amazing journey for me and I benefited so much from the training. A lot of it has to do with financial discipline, branding, personal branding, marketing and more on networking. Since the TEF experience, I am more opened minded. I am mentoring young Botswana who are doing extremely well in their businesses and some of them where selected for TEF program in 2019.”

“At the TEF Forum, I loved the pitching competition though I am quite a shy person, but it was amazing to see how young people in Africa have so much to offer to our continent and it took one man’s dream to actually see that and put it out there for the world to see. Young Africans are talented, they are a full package. I am strongly for entrepreneurship, women empowerment, mentorship, and a believer in positive thinking.”

Overcoming Challenges Encountered

As the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic reverberated across the world, she decided to learn and embrace the challenge brought upon by the effects of lockdowns and changes to what was “normal”. “We have been actively growing our social media platforms and mobilizing for online sales which is one area we intend to grow over this season.”

Some of the challenges I had was capital to grow the business, which I got through the Tony Elumelu Foundation. Having the right entrepreneurial skill was a challenge and such knowledge and skills are fundamental to running a successful business. The TEF entrepreneurship program was fundamental to giving not just the funding, but the entrepreneurial skills and knowledge to execute a successful business.

Milestone

Nametso is expanding business operations in Botswana, and says they are increasing output and successfully meeting market demand.

“We have successfully registered our business in Nigeria which we have focused to operate by June 2021.”

“My plan is to have two more branches within Botswana by 2021 and one operating in Nigeria. Though we are successfully selling nationwide via online sales couriers we see potential in increased sales by having additional branches.”

Impact

Matthan Jewlery currently has 5 employees. Other than employing members of their locality, Nametso also actively mobilizes entrepreneurs in her locality to apply for the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, with 4 candidates who successful enrolled and benefitted on the 2019 program.

“I have learnt that patience is paramount to making your goal and vision a reality. Through the experience I have gained over my entrepreneurial journey, my mind has been open to so many opportunities around us and how to smartly engage myself and the resources around me to get things done.

My advice to young people and other aspiring entrepreneurs is that we are well capable. We can indeed make it through entrepreneurship, our economies need us, Africa needs us and you owe it to yourself to become everything you ever dreamt of being.”

The post Taking the Leap into Entrepreneurship appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

O Programa de Empreendedorismo da Fundação Tony Elumelu é um compromisso de 100 milhões de dólares assumido pela família Elumelu para capacitar 10.000 empresários africanos durante um período de 10 anos, formação, orientação e financiamento. O objetivo é criar pelo menos um milhão de empregos e contribuir com mais de 10mil milhões de dólares em receitas para a economia africana.  

Através do seu principal Programa de Empreendedorismo, a Fundação capacita os empreendedores africanos e o ecossistema de empreendedorismo em 54 países africanos. O currículo de formação TEF foi projetado para segmentar empreendedores com base na capacidade e conhecimento demonstrados.  

A formação foi adaptada para educar e capacitar-se para iniciar ou aumentar o seu negócio para superar os desafios enfrentados pelos empreendedores em todo o continente africano. O currículo centra-se na aprendizagem prática e iterativa que é útil mesmo muito depois do período de formação.  

NOTA: A conclusão do programa de formação é uma condição estrita para avançar para a submissão e revisão do seu plano de negócios, participação no concurso de pitching e receção de capital de sementes. 

COMO SE REGISTAR 

O formulário de candidatura é composto por quatro partes: 

(1) Informações pessoais 

(2) Informações comerciais 

(3) Avaliação cognitiva 

(4) Secção de declaração 

Para garantir um processo de candidatura transparente, todos os candidatos terão de ter um ID emitido pelo seu governo válido e indicar o seu nome no formulário de candidatura no TEFConnect exatamente como aparece no cartão de identificação. 

TODOS OS CANDIDATOS SERÃO OBRIGADOS A:  

1. Preencha todos os campos obrigatórios no formulário de candidatura online no TEFConnect. 

2. Enviar o formulário 

4. Anexar todos os documentos solicitados (bilhete de identidade válido e foto tipo passe) e fazer o upload dos documentos necessários 

5. Esperar comentários da Fundação. 

POR FAVOR NOTE: O TEFConnect só pode ser acedido através de uma única conta de e-mail. É importante que todos os candidatos se inscrevam com um e-mail ao qual têm acesso regular. 

O QUE ESPERAR DO PROGRAMA? 

O Programa de Empreendedorismo identifica empresários africanos excecionais que têm start-ups ou ideias de negócio com potencial para crescer.  O Programa de Empreendedorismo TEF será entregue em diferentes fases, conforme indicado a seguir: 

• Fase de Inscrição/ Candidatura  
• Fase de Formação e Orientação/ Mentoria  
• Fase de Submissão do Plano de Negócios  

• Fase de Pitching  
• Fase de capital semente  

A FASE DE CANDIDATURA 

Isto terá lugar de 1 de Janeiro a 31 de Março.  Uma vez fechados as candidaturas, os candidatos elegíveis serão colocados no Percurso de formação adequado: 

PREPARATÓRIO 

Isto significa que não tens a habilidade necessária para começar um negócio. Você vai passar pelo treino geral no TEFConnect. No entanto, não será elegível para mentoria ou capital de sementes. 

ARRANQUE/ PRINCIPIANTE 

Isto significa que és um iniciante de acordo com o perfil de arranque do negócio. Você vai passar pelos módulos de formação de principiantes e você terá acesso a mentores de classe mundial durante o programa.  

INOVAÇÃO/ INTERMEDIÁRIO 

Isto significa que foi perfilado para ser um empreendedor intermediário. Tem um bom potencial para ser um empreendedor de sucesso. Você vai passar pelos módulos de formação intermediários e você terá acesso a mentores de classe mundial durante o programa.  

DISRUPTOR/ AVANÇADO 

Isto significa que você é ou é identificado como empreendedor natural ou um empreendedor experiente. Você vai passar pelos módulos de treino Avançados e você terá acesso a mentores de classe mundial durante o programa.  

A FASE DE FORMAÇÃO E ORIENTAÇÃO 

Uma vez selecionado e colocado no caminho de formação apropriado, você será elegível para participar em nossas rigorosas sessões de formação e mentoria de negócios. Haverá múltiplas perguntas de escolha para acompanhar o seu desempenho. Você irá assistir a um programa de orientação virtual para saber mais sobre o processo e partilharemos os prazos e recursos disponíveis para que você tenha sucesso. Os empreendedores selecionados terão acesso para se juntarem aos grupos de apoio entre colegas. 

• Espera-se que os empreendedores selecionados completem a formação de negócios, respondam ao questionário no fim de cada módulo. 

• Os candidatos pré-selecionados após a formação terão a oportunidade de desenvolver um PLANO DE NEGÓCIOS  

A FASE DE APRESENTAÇÃO DO PLANO DE NEGÓCIOS E DAS FINANÇAS 

No final do treino, você será obrigado a combinar todas as aprendizagens do treino em um único documento coeso. Ser-lhe-a dado um modelo de plano de negócios e financeiros; isto estará na biblioteca de recursos online. Este modelo irá ajudá-lo a criar um primeiro rascunho do seu plano de negócios. Escreva um plano de negócios. Após  TREINAMENTO DE NEGOCIOS  &  A SUBMISSÃO DO PLANO DE NEGÓCIOS, apenas os candidatos bem sucedidos (que completam os MCQs e pontuam acima da marca indicada e apresentam um plano de negócios) seriam elegíveis para passar à fase seguinte: a COMPETIÇÃO DE PITCHING. 

A FASE DE PITCHING  

Esta é uma oportunidade para demonstrar o seu conhecimento de negócio e convencer o juiz sobre a viabilidade do seu negócio. Na fase de pitching, os empreendedores vão apresentar as suas ideias perante um painel de juízes. Só os candidatos bem sucedidos do concurso de pitching receberão financiamento de capital semente e acesso à rede de ex-alunos para apoiar as suas ambições empresariais. 

Se tiver cumprido com sucesso todos os requisitos de formação necessários e tiver apresentado um plano de negócios, mas não tiver tido sucesso após o concurso de pitching, receberá um certificado de conclusão de formação e poderá recandidatar-se no próximo ano.  

Por favor, note que esta fase é mais um resultado chave deste programa de formação e todos os empreendedores pré-selecionados devem passar por esta fase para serem elegíveis a CAPITAL DE SEMENTES. 

A FASE CAPITAL DE SEMENTES 

Todos os empreendedores que tenham concluído com sucesso todas as etapas acima referidas serão obrigados a abrir contas de negócio e o capital semente será transferido para estas contas criadas. Um empreendedor que seja elegível para receber financiamento de capital semente receberá um CERTIFICADO DE CONCLUSÃO E REALIZAÇÃO da Fundação. 

The post A 7ª EDIÇÃO DO PROGRAMA DE EMPREENDEDORISMO (2021) DA FUNDAÇÃO TONY ELUMELU 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.

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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

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Bold Dialogue creates an atmosphere of healing, transformation and growth. In addition to bringing women together to support, mentor, and encourage one another, Bold Dialogue hosts vision boarding workshops that enable women to bring their dreams to life, and presents master classes on various topics that enable women to rise above their circumstances. Through its online activities, the organisation engages with women across the African continent.  Bold Dialogue also offers coaching and mentorship services, and publishes a newsletter that empowers women from the bedroom to the boardroom.

Barbara, who hails from Zimbabwe, is passionate about accompanying women along their healing journeys, guiding and coaching them towards emotional freedom. She is a woman who knows emotional pain too well, but has learned to work through life’s darkest storms and emerge stronger and more purpose-driven than ever before. She has survived cervical cancer, endometriosis, a hysterectomy, a divorce, abuse and also lives with an autoimmune disease. Barbara relates to women from all walks of life, experiencing various struggles. She understands what it is to be stripped of everything you had, and who you thought you were, and then redefine and rebuild your identity according to your own rules.

She’s learned that it is crucial for one to take time to heal physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Despite living with pain, she wears her scars with pride, constantly sets new milestones, and embraces being different.

In recognition of her work towards women empowerment she was named one of Amahle Magazine’s 25 most influential women in Zimbabwe for 2020.

The post TEF Entrepreneur, Barbara Kamba-Nyathi named Amahle Magazine Most Influential Woman in Zimbabwe. 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.

TEF Alumni 2015

Zambia

This is My Story

My sister and I were raised by my grandparents in a small family in the Serenje district of Zambia. My mother had passed away when I was barely 5 years old and my sister and I did not get along with my stepmother.  We were sent off to live with our grandparents who were smallholder farmers surviving on the proceeds from their small farm. We ate most of the farm produced and sold the little left for some cash to take care of other needs.

After my Secondary education, I worked as a teacher in a school close to my home for one year, then served as a train examiner with a train maintenance company for another year to raise funds for my higher education. When I proceeded to study for my accounting degree, I continued working in the accounts department of the railway company. Upon my graduation, I took on accounting and audit roles for a few other companies until 2011 when I left paid employment.

How it Started

As a Zambian, I had seen unrest, economic downturn and food shortages ravage a neighboring country. A country that once had a high concentration of profitable farms as one of Africa’s biggest exporter of agricultural products, was now dependent on foreign aid to feed its population. I knew I had to act.

I decided to tap into my experiences with smallholder farmers by creating Muchinga General Enterprises Ltd. My agribusiness aims to alleviate some of the challenges that smallholder farmers experience by providing quality seeds, irrigation solutions and ensuring a readily available market for the cereal and legume crops grown by the farmers in this district.

In addition to addressing the issue of food shortages for our fast-growing population, it also helps prevent further damage to the environment as these farmers mostly result to cutting down trees for charcoal to substitute their income.

I sold my plot of land to raise the initial capital required to start my business. This small capital, helped me buy some seeds and construct a small office in the rural area, fitted with solar power for office equipment. However, the funds were not enough to make any real impact within such an impoverished region.

Then I got lucky

On one of my trips from Muchinga to the township, I stumbled on an advert calling for applications into the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme and I applied. I was fortunate to be one of the 1000 entrepreneurs selected into the first cycle of the programme in 2015.

I went through the 12-week training, developed my business plan with the help of my assigned mentor, and I was awarded the non-refundable seed capital of $5000.

The capital received from the Tony Elumelu Foundation, helped us create our irrigation system using solar water pumps. We purchased a sales outlet in Kabwe town in the central province, a motorcycle to mobilise smallholder farmers in Mafinga and lots of common beans seeds for the farmers.

Over time, we had Milestones

In April 2017, I was one of the 25 entrepreneurs selected from Central and Southern African Countries for innovations addressing gender issues within the agribusiness space by the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD).

In December 2017, I was one of the 10 entrepreneurs chosen from 2000 applicants in Africa and sponsored by Tony Elumelu Foundation and COMESA to attend the Africa 2017 Business Forum in Egypt.

In December 2017, I was selected by Thought for Food (TFF) as 2018 Thought for Food Ambassador because of my passion and unique innovation to feed over nine billion people by 2050.

Still experiencing the Impact

The Tony Elumelu Foundation has changed my life as an individual but even more than that, its impact extends to the rural smallholder farmers and the entire community of Mafinga district, Muchinga.

One of our smallholder farmers from whom we purchased common beans in 2016 used the money to construct small houses which he rents to teachers at the nearby school so that children could have access to education, another one bought a hammer mill so that women would not have to travel long distances to grind their maize, while a third farmer built a house with iron sheets so that he doesn’t have to look for grass every year to re-thatch his home.

For the Future

We need to get the smallholder farmers to extend their production cycle beyond the rainy season to increase production and discourage deforestation for charcoal as a source of income in the dry season. This requires further investment in irrigation systems, and we are seeking partners for this.

In closing, I have learnt some interesting lessons and I hope that they can help someone.

• Don’t be afraid to start something new.
• While you might not have a lot of money, there’s always something in your hands that can help you get started.
• Ask for help when you need it.
• Don’t give up!

Our Contact Details

Address:  Muchinga General Enterprises Limited. Along Muyombe Road, Thendele Mafinga District Muchinga Province Zambia.

Email: muchingagel@gmail.com

Phone: +260977206667.

Water reservoir tank constructed as a trial for irrigation purposes in Livingstone Zambia. The tank was constructed using natural stones, cement, sand and waterproof paint.

The post Chaka Ng’ambi is Preventing Food Insecurity in Zambia appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

On Wednesday May 16, Tony Elumelu, Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation joined global leaders at the Tech for Good Summit 2019 in France at the invitation of President of France, H.E Emmanuel Macron, to discuss two themes that are pertinent to him: technology as a tool for economic transformation and gender equality.

Elumelu’s contribution to this ongoing conversation was clear and timely as global debates focus on immigration challenges and the way forward. He urged world leaders present at the gathering to prioritise technology in Africa to create economic opportunities and growth for the millions of young African entrepreneurs on the continent.

Why is this timely?

Africa is home to 1billion people, 60% of which are under the age of thirty, keeping this youth population productively engaged is key. This requires the continent to up its game by not only creating jobs but also creating a cyclical mechanism that will ensure that millions of economic opportunities are consistently available to its youth.

To create enough jobs to keep this youth population actively engaged, the continent will need to up its game in not just creating jobs but creating a cyclical mechanism that will ensure that millions of economic opportunities are available to its youth – the masses that graduate yearly from universities and those who decide to pursue an entrepreneurial/ career path earlier in their lives.

“African youths need technological opportunities. They need hope. They need tech for good and they want tech for all”, Elumelu said.

Last year, the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Africa’s leading philanthropy empowering entrepreneurs, launched TEFConnect in the bid to leverage technology to empower entrepreneurs. TEFConnect, a digital networking platform which convenes hundreds of thousands of Africa’s youth entrepreneurs, investors, and mentors is available in different languages and open to entrepreneurs across 54 African countries. The platform is a testament to the Foundation’s goal of achieving business beyond physical borders, to create even more economic opportunities beyond its $100million commitment to identify, train, mentor and fund 10,000 African entrepreneurs in 10 years.

The opportunities available on TEFConnect – access to mentors, business learning materials, a networking chatroom and more importantly, incredible data of entrepreneurs across the continent – lend credence to Elumelu’s words and the Foundation’s mission of empowering African entrepreneurs.

(This is also to call out to mentors who are willing to lend their time, expertise and network to mentoring a few entrepreneurs among our 7,520 entrepreneurs, click HERE).

In investing in technology, gender inclusion and diversity play a significant role in achieving success. Empowering women, from the grassroots to the top, will empower generations. In this same vein, therefore, Elumelu co-signed a diversity pact aimed at increasing the participation of women in leadership and technology by 2022. The diversity pact, which will leverage technology to bridge the gender divide in today’s fast-evolving workspace and drive a more inclusive work environment, aims to have 30% of women in leadership positions by 2022; a feat Elumelu’s group of companies has excelled at.

UBA group leads in diversity across the 20 African countries of its operations, as well as in the UK, USA and France with 31% of its senior/executive management positions held by women and 30% female representation on its board. The Tony Elumelu foundation which he founded in 2010 not only has 50% female representation on its Board, and a remarkable 100% representation in senior management but also continues to raise the bar within its entrepreneurship programme; among the applications received, there was an increase in women-led businesses from 29% to 42% in 2019. Transcorp Plc, one of the investee companies of the Heirs Holdings Group recently made appointments, with the appointment of a female CEO for the Hotels and two female Non-Executive directors.

In conclusion, with the advancement of technology and keen investment in gender diversity, Africa is indeed poised at the brink of witnessing the most rapid development experience in decades.

Elumelu summarised the significance of this moment in his quote: “Technology is a great employer of labour. Technology drives inclusiveness. Technology helps to alleviate poverty, but Africa is just starting, and we need the world to pay attention to this so that issues of migration can be addressed in a more fundamental way so that poverty which is a threat to everyone everywhere can be alleviated”.

The post Prioritise Technology and Gender Equality to Create Economic Opportunities for the African Youth – Elumelu Urges World Leaders in France appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.