Hafiz, through his agricultural business, Adubiaro Farms is on an ambitious mission to see Africa without poverty, hunger and malnutrition and to facilitate the continent’s processing of raw materials into finished products. The business aims to mitigate the percentage of annual agricultural products wastes due to the unavailability of processing facilities.

Adubiaro Farms launched in 2015 with 8-hectares of land for cultivating maize. Following the $5,000 he received from the foundation in that year, he was able to expand to 17 hectares (42.5 acres) to cultivate maize, cassava and melon.

Driven by a mission to promote inclusion and growth of the regional agricultural ecosystem, Hafiz kicked off garri processing in a self-owned 1,000kg per day garri processing factory in Ada, Osun State in September 2017. By the following year, they added three other products: plantain flour, yam flour, and beans flour.

Hafiz’s entrepreneurial journey has been one of consistency and growth. His venture into the agriculture sector was borne out of the belief that regardless of how good or bad an economy is, people must eat especially with Africa’s population increasing at a rapid rate.

He recognises the importance of training and mentorship in building a successful business. Following the lessons received from the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, Hafiz was able to manage what appeared to be challenge in the agricultural sector and turned it around to be an opportunity to now only make impact but also to make profit.

An interesting product by Adubiaro Farms is its farm setup and management product. With this, individuals can earn some passive income when they purchase land from Adubiaro Farms, have the farms set up the farm and managed on their behalf while receiving routine updates in pictures and videos along with periodic farm visits.

The post Hafiz Adubiaro, TEF Alumni, Expands Missions To Feed Africa appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

In March, TEF hosted the Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCTA), Wamkele Mene, to identify new opportunities presented by the recently-commenced AfCFTA for us to jointly strengthen, scale and support small and medium scale enterprises across all 54 African countries.

SMEs contribute over 70% of Africa’s GDP and create over 400m jobs on the continent! Simply put, economies are powered by SMEs. This is why at #TEF we are empowering the next generation of African entrepreneurs through our US$100m TEF Entrepreneurship Programme.

If empowered adequately, our young entrepreneurs and their SMEs will help to address our continent’s limited industrial and production capacity, support in diversifying our economies and improve intra-African trade and ties via enhanced regional competitiveness.

We commend the #AfCTA for championing the free movement of goods, services, people and payment to ensure that Africa has more prosperous economies. Simultaneously, it creates the policy space, support and structure for industrial development. We look forward to creating new opportunities for African SMEs, and advancing African interests at home and abroad!

Collectively, we must leverage the #AfCTA as a tool for economic development and an industrial driver. With financial support, trade finance, and the removal of restrictions, we will grow our continent’s industrial capacity, deepen our production capacity, innovate our existing economic models, diversify our economies and national incomes, and invest in pervading transport and infrastructure deficiencies.

However, new challenges have risen from the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most African countries face restricted travels and depreciating currencies and remittances, inevitably slowing economic integration and the implementation of the agreement.

In a new report titled: “COVID-19 and the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement” published by TEF research partner, PriceWaterCoopers in February, African nations and relevant stakeholders could turn the agreement into an opportunity for stronger collaboration if certain policies are pursued quickly.

The emphasis is on seeking out ways to convert the effects of the pandemic into opportunities for stronger economic and political integration, and enabling infrastructure such as electricity, roads and affordable internet services can fast-track a continent that is self-reliant. However, African governments are not the only ones being called upon to do more.

Former CEO of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Parminder Vir, wrote earlier in the month on the need for African SMEs to organise and educate themselves about the AfCFTA, and to be participants and not bystanders in this new African initiative.

“African entrepreneurs must raise awareness and initiate campaigns on how they can benefit from the agreement, and what measures and policies are needed to ensure they have a place within the agreement. SMEs must also provide their own leadership, as they cannot afford to wait for others to lead them. With their chosen leaders and with a common voice, they can then begin to engage with the AU, African governments and trade bodies, holding them accountable for the implementation and regulation of the AfCFTA to ensure that it works as intended for all Africans.”

The AfCFTA has the potential to increase intra-African trade by over 50%, according to the UN Economic Commission for Africa, and there is no doubt that African SMEs will benefit from greater access to new markets.

The post High Hopes for the AfCFTA appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

While the world faces a huge health challenge, earning a living has become a challenge for low income earners across Africa. Tony Elumelu entrepreneur, Nkem Okocha, repurposed her business to support low income women in her community who are in dire need of help and support to feed their families.

Her business, Mama Moni, which offers micro-loans and creates opportunities for capacity building to low-income earning women, stepped in to support the fight against COVID-19 by donating proceeds of the sales of its liquid soap (Levanter Handwashing Soap) to these women.

She also partnered with individuals and organisations to direct help where it is in dire need. With this initiative, Nkem Okocha has donated food, relief funds, high quality sanitizers and sensitised over 200 women in Ijegun, Ikotun, Ojo areas of Lagos state, Nigeria.

She is currently on the lookout for more partners with like-minded individuals, groups, or organisations to support more women through the ordeal.

If you’re interested in partnering on this great initiative by this Tony Elumelu entrepreneur, click HERE to send her a message.

The post Nkem Okocha’s Mama-Moni Gives Hope to Vulnerable Women During the Lockdown appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

This entrepreneur, a Tony Elumelu Foundation Alumnus, Mohammed Akamara, from Sierra Leone is solving this major problem.

Using locally available and recyclable materials, and through his business, Light Salone Innovation, he has built the Lili Tap to help Africans in Sierra-Leone with a safer and unique handwashing system for small communities.

His concept design which involves opening and closing the tap with a foot working down a lever system, has been endorsed by the government of Sierra-Leone and is currently being rolled out in communities, homes, offices, business places, markets, and schools.

Watch how it works.

The post Mohammed Akamara’s Innovation, Lili Tap, Helps Small Communities Avoid Contact When Washing Hands appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

Nadiatu Ali, a Ghanaian entrepreneur shared the story of how his enterprise is focused on producing sanitizer gels and donating face masks to people in his community.

“As the need has arisen for lots of medical and personal aids, my business has started producing hand sanitizer gel and hand-rubbing alcohol which we are producing and selling within my region, Northern Ghana,” he said.

“We will start production on Monday to supply freely to our community as per our social responsibility. We are however in need of support for materials and sewing machines to engage more young people who will provide free labour in the production process.”

Nadiatu Ali has applied to several Programmes, including this year’s Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme, and he is hopeful to be among the selected beneficiaries in 2021. His story is one of hope and resilience despite the circumstance.

The post “How I am Helping My Community Survive the Global COVID-19 Pandemic” – Nadiatu Ali appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

This must be avoided.

The Tony Elumelu Foundation wants to ensure that Africans are safe, informed and equipped to deal with this menace to stall its spread.

These are helpful suggestions to help us deal with this together:

Don’t panic. Don’t Spread Rumours.
Firstly, don’t panic, and more importantly, don’t spread panic-driven rumours. At a time like this, it is important that you remain calm enough to receive, process and absorb critical information before taking any action.

We know the implications of rumours in our society. They can cause more damage than the disease if special care is not taken so please discourage others from spreading false information.

Verify all information
We always speak about private and public sector collaboration, and this is one scenario where this becomes important. 

Whatever information you receive on the coronavirus, it is important that you verify the information first with the relevant government authorities. This way, we work together to achieve the same goal of stopping the spread of Covid-19.

Health First
While business is important, your life and the lives of your loved ones matter more. 

Observe specific actions as outlined by the World Health Organisation and by our local health authorities, including:

• Avoiding crowded spaces
• Observing social distancing
• Washing your hands regularly
• Using a hand sanitiser
• Not touching your face
• Eating healthy to strengthen your immune system
• Observing the self-isolation regulations if you travel
• Contacting the nearest health personnel if you observe Covid-19 symptoms
• Working remotely, if you can

Contingency and Business Continuity Plan
Prepare for worse case scenarios, especially if your country announces a lockdown. Review your business processes in areas that may suffer if you have to take time off work and prepare solutions to mitigate the risks.

In conclusion, we are hopeful that this too will pass and quickly at that, but we must all work together at this time to preserve the lives of the people around us and ensure that the negative impact on the socio-economic climate of our dear continent is reduced to the barest minimum.  

Safety first.

Click HERE for news from the Tony Elumelu Foundation this week.

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