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.

The post 2022 TEF-UNDP-MALI Entrepreneurship Programme Overview appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

• The TEF-UNDP Mali Entrepreneurship Programme leverages the Pan-African Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme knowhow and process to identify, train and fund young entrepreneurs

• A critical economic intervention to restore peace and economic stability in Mali

November 1, 2020, Bamako, Mali – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the global development network of the United Nations, and the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) — the leading champion of entrepreneurship in Africa — have opened applications for the TEF-UNDP Mali Entrepreneurship Programme to train, mentor and fund 10,000 young Malian entrepreneurs over a 3-year period, as part of significant economic recovery intervention in Mali.

This youth empowerment initiative is part of the broader Tony Elumelu Foundation-UNDP Entrepreneurship Program, launched in 2019 to support 100,000 entrepreneurs across Africa.

The United Nations estimates that over 1.7 million people have been displaced by violence in Mali since 2012, further exacerbating an already volatile Sahel region. The TEF-UNDP Mali Entrepreneurship Programme directly addresses the economic roots of the crisis, helping to create a basis for sustainable peace in the long term.

The Tony Elumelu Foundation’s Entrepreneurship Programme demonstrates that entrepreneurship is the single most effective tool to create jobs, opportunity, economic hope, sustained growth, and poverty alleviation.

Commenting on this development, the Founder of The Tony Elumelu Foundation, Tony Elumelu said “under the global leadership of Achim Steiner, the UNDP has shown a long-lasting commitment to vulnerable and at-risk populations throughout Africa and shares our belief at TEF in the power of entrepreneurship and youth empowerment”.

Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator, said: “COVID 19 recovery strategies must offer new opportunities for SMEs and the Informal economy. The United Nations Development Programme is proud of our partnership with the Tony Elumelu Foundation, now expanded to Mali – to invest in 10,000 Malian young entrepreneurs over 3 years.  This will counter multidimensional crises by creating jobs, boosting innovation and promoting greener economic growth”.

The programme follows the recently concluded TEF-UNDP Sahel Pilot Programme in 2019 which identified, trained, mentored, and funded 2,004 young entrepreneurs across seven Sahel countries, including Mali, where close to 300 young Malian entrepreneurs benefited from this initiative.

The applications for the TEF-UNDP Mali Entrepreneurship Programme will be hosted on TEFConnect, the largest digital networking platform for African entrepreneurs from November 1^st to 14^th, developed by The Tony Elumelu Foundation.  Following the application period, applicants will receive business training and mentorship, before participating in a pitching competition. The final list of beneficiaries to receive funding will be announced shortly after.

For media enquiry, please contact:

In Bamako: Adam Maiga, +223 75 99 52 63, adam.maiga@undp.org

In Lagos: Ifesinachi Okpagu, +234-1-2774641-5, ifesinachi.okpagu@tonyelumelufoundation.org

About UNDP: UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at undp.org or follow at @UNDP.

About the Tony Elumelu Foundation: The Tony Elumelu Foundation is the leading champion of entrepreneurship in Africa.  Our objective is to empower women and men across our continent, catalyzing economic growth, driving poverty eradication and ensuring job creation.

The Foundation’s flagship Entrepreneurship Programme is a $100 million commitment to champion entrepreneurship development in Africa.  Beyond its directly funded annual commitment, the Foundation has begun to partner with global development organizations and governments to scale its robust and proven approach, with the goal of creating economic prosperity and breaking the cycle of poverty on the continent.  For more information, visit:  www.tonyelumelufoundation.org

Follow us on Twitter: @UNDP @TonyElumeluFDN @UNDPAfrica

The post Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) and UNDP Announce Recovery Programme for Mali. Opens Applications to Empower 10,000 Young Malian Entrepreneurs appeared first on The Tony Elumelu Foundation.