• His Excellency, President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi of Congo DRC, My dear brother and friend. Un grand merci!

• H.E. Nicolas Kazadi – Minister of Finance and H.E. Eustache Muhanzi Mubembe – Minister of Entrepreneurship

• Distinguished guests from the public and private sector here with us today

• And most important of all, as it is their day, the young African entrepreneurs here today!

• I would like to commend Mr. President for his focus on developing the young people in his country and his administration’s strong stance on promoting entrepreneurship as a viable means for his citizens to create sustainable wealth and jobs

• Today, I am happy to announce the 2022 cohort of the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme.

• I am delighted to do this here in Kinshasa. We are a pan African institution; we support entrepreneurs, young women and men,  in all 54 African countries. It is an honour and pleasure to come to the DRC to make this announcement.

• The Tony Elumelu Foundation was founded in 2010 democratise luck and create economic opportunities of jobs creation, poverty alleviation and women inclusion.

• As I always say, luck on its own is nothing but when luck meets preparedness, it translates into success.

• So let me commend our beneficiaries, you were selected based on your unwavering passion and hard work. You demonstrated this determination, which you applied from the moment you started your application on TEFConnect, till you participated in the final pitching competition, and you see the results – and this is is only the beginning. The seed capital, the training, the networks will propel you forward.

• You have worked for your luck, and that is what I preach, that luck is hard work, that luck is passion.

• So let us welcome you onboard this journey of helping to develop Africa, because no one but us will develop our continent.

• What we do at the Tony Elumelu Foundation is our own contribution towards developing Africa, because we realise that ultimately it is not the money that we have in our bank accounts that matters, it is the impact and legacy.

• Now is Africa’s time – we know life is tough, we know the road can be long, but we – and this young generation – have thr strength the aptitude and the confidence to succeed.

• I join the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo – H.E. Félix Antoine Tshisekedi, and all our other partners:

• The United States African Development Foundation

• UNDP Mali

• UNDP Rwanda

• BADEA

• SightSavers and

• The African Education Foundation in Congo Brazaville, in congratulating all of you.

• We thank these wonderful partners – partners and allies we cherish, because we know there is so much to do. It is truly a celebration of Africans and our global friends coming together, creating direct, measurable impact – catalysing the private sector, a sector that can do well and do good – it is a message and example I want the world to recognise.

• To our young ones who have been empowered through the training, mentoring and now funding, the time has come for you to develop Africa.

• The future of our continent indeed lies in your hands!

• Thank you

• Merci et bonne chance

Tony O. Elumelu, CFR
Founder, Tony Elumelu Foundation

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