The Tony Elumelu Foundation Appoints New Advisory Board Member from UAE

• New TEF Board member, HE Badr Jafar, is a leading businessman and social entrepreneur from the United Arab Emirates
• The Tony Elumelu Foundation is the leading philanthropy committed to catalysing youth entrepreneurship across Africa
• Since 2015, the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme has created 1.5 million jobs, lifted 2.1 million Africans from poverty, and created $4.2 billion in revenue
• HE Badr Jafar’s appointment represents the growing focus on strategic philanthropy in Africa from the Gulf region

5 November 2025, Dubai, UAE, – His Excellency Badr Jafar, Special Envoy of the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs for Business and Philanthropy, and CEO of Crescent Enterprises has been appointed to the Advisory Board of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), the leading philanthropy empowering young African entrepreneurs. The appointment signifies TEF’s commitment to fostering cross-regional collaboration, that drives inclusive economic growth, scale innovation and youth entrepreneurship, unlocking economic opportunities for the next generation.

HE Badr Jafar is the CEO of Crescent Enterprises, a diversified business operating across nine industry sectors in 15 countries. He also serves as Chairman of Gulftainer, the largest privately-owned container port operator in the world. Badr is actively engaged with organisations and initiatives focused on humanitarian aid and international development, strategic philanthropy, corporate governance, entrepreneurship, education and the arts. Consistent with his interest in promoting social entrepreneurship in the MENA Region, Badr co-founded the Arab World Social Entrepreneurship Program (ASEP).

The Tony Elumelu Foundation is the leading philanthropy committed to championing youth entrepreneurship across Africa, catalysing job creation, eradicating poverty, and driving inclusive economic empowerment across all 54 African countries. Since 2010, TEF has empowered over 2.5 million young Africans with access to business management training on our proprietary digital hub, TEFConnect, and disbursed over US$100 million in seed capital to more than 21,000 entrepreneurs on the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, with an additional 3.000 young African entrepreneurs to be funded at the end of 2025. Collectively, these entrepreneurs have generated $4.2 billion in revenue and created more than 1.5 million direct and indirect jobs. Through our support for African entrepreneurs, TEF has lifted 2.1 million people out of poverty, with 45% of supported entrepreneurs being African women.

The appointment of H.E. Badr Jafar further reflects the Foundation’s growing strategic engagement with the UAE and broader Gulf region. This deepening relationship is exemplified by TEF’s recent partnership with the UAE Office of Development Affairs and Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, an affiliate of Erth Zayed. Existing partners of the Foundation include the Europe Union, the United Nations Development Programme, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Ikea Foundation.

Tony O. Elumelu, Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, commented: “At the Tony Elumelu Foundation, we believe that entrepreneurship is the most sustainable solution to youth unemployment and economic transformation in Africa. We welcome H.E. Badr Jafar to our Advisory Board – his experience in championing innovative solutions and strategic philanthropy will be instrumental, as we scale our mission and bridge Africa with global partners who share our commitment to economic inclusion”.

H.E. Badr Jafar joins the Board at a time of growing recognition of Africa’s entrepreneurial potential, and amid the UAE’s increasing role as a hub for capital, innovation, and expertise across emerging markets. Commenting on his appointment, H.E. Badr Jafar said: “It is a privilege to support the Tony Elumelu Foundation’s work, at a time when Africa’s entrepreneurial energy is reshaping the future. The UAE has emerged as a global platform for innovation and cross-sector collaboration, and I look forward to helping build bridges between regions, sectors, and generations to drive sustainable impact at scale.”

With a rising focus on strategic philanthropy in the Gulf region, the opportunity to align capital with purpose has never been more urgent. The appointment underscores a shared commitment to advancing youth opportunity, innovation, and inclusive prosperity, not only within Africa, but globally.

To learn more about our #TEFImpact, please read the 2024 TEF Annual Report and the latest TEF Impact Report to see how Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurs are transforming Africa.