The Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme, through its Off-Cycle Entrepreneurship Programme and with the valuable support of partners such as UNDP and BADEA, is empowering African youths in Nigeria, Mali and the Sahel regions with the Knowledge, Skillsets, Mentoring and Funding to launch and run successful businesses.

The training has been tailored to educate and capacitise you in starting or growing your business to overcome the challenges faced by entrepreneurs across the African continent. The curriculum focuses on practical, iterative learning that is useful even long after the training period.  

THE APPLICATION FORM

The application form consists of four parts: 

• Personal information 
• Business information 
• Business acumen questions
• Declaration section 

To ensure a transparent application process, all applicants will need to have a valid government issued ID and indicate their name on the application form on TEFConnect exactly as it appears on the ID card. 

ALL APPLICANTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO:  

• Complete all mandatory fields in the online application form on TEFConnect. 
• Attach all the requested documents (valid identity card and photo headshot) and upload the required documents 
• Submit the form 

PLEASE NOTE: www.tefconnect.net can only be accessed by a single email account. It is important that all applicants register with an email to which they have regular access.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE PROGRAMME? 

The Entrepreneurship Programme identifies outstanding African entrepreneurs who have start-ups or business ideas with the potential to grow.  

The TEF Entrepreneurship Programme will be delivered in different phases as listed below: 

• Application Phase 
• Training Phase 
• Business Plan Submission Phase 
• Business Plan & Pitch Video Review Phase
• Seed Capital Phase & TEF Certification

THE APPLICATION PHASE

The application portal launches on the 8^th of August 2022. Once the application closes, all eligible applicants will be contacted via email on the eligibility of their status and next steps.

INELIGIBLITY

The applicants who are not eligible will be given access to the TEF General Business training on www.tefconnect.net. You will, however, not be eligible to receive seed capital.

THE TRAINING PHASE 

Shortlisted participants will complete the TEF Business Management Training Programme. This training can be deployed in one of two mediums i.e. online, via www.tefconnect.net or offline, physical classroom style.

The specific medium for your programme will be communicated to you via email.

In the training phase, you will be required to complete weekly multiple-choice assessment. Your attendance to all information sessions will also be tracked. Ensure you attend.

However, all participants who complete the training programme will be issued a CERTIFICATE OF TRAINING COMPLETION from the Foundation.

Another round of shortlisting will occur at the end of the training phase. This will be based on defined criteria by the Tony Elumelu Foundation and the Partner organisation. All shortlisted participants will:

• Expected to complete the business training, answer the quiz at each end of each module.
• Given access to join the peer-to-peer support groups. 
• Given the opportunity to develop a BUSINESS PITCH DOCUMENT.

THE BUSINESS PLAN DOCUMENT SUBMISSION PHASE 

During the training, you will be required to combine all the learnings from the training into a single cohesive document. You will be given a business pitch template. The template will help you create a first draft of your business plan. You will also be required to create a 2-3 min video pitch  

After the BUSINESS TRAINING & BUSINESS PLAN SUBMISSION, participants who submit the business plan & video pitch before the deadline will be eligible to move on to the next stage: the BUSINESS PLAN & PITCHING REVIEW PHASE.

BUSINESS PLAN & PITCHING REVIEW PHASE

The Business plan & Pitching phase is an opportunity to demonstrate your business knowledge and convince the judge about the feasibility of your business.

Depending on the structure of the programme, shortlisted applicants may go through one or both phases of the programme.

In this phase, your business document or video or physical pitch will be reviewed by a panel of judges and scored by our third-party consulting partner. You will receive given specific feedback on your submission, including areas of improvement.

At the end of this phase, the final participants who will receive the SEED CAPITAL will emerge.

THE SEED CAPITAL PHASE 

All entrepreneurs who have successfully completed all the above steps will be required to open business accounts and seed capital will flow into these accounts. An entrepreneur who is eligible to receive seed funding will be given a CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION AND ACHIEVEMENT from the Foundation.

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