The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Global Development Network and the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) – the leading champion of entrepreneurship in Africa – recently opened applications for the TEF Entrepreneurship Program-UNDP Mali to train, supervise and finance 10,000 young Malian entrepreneurs over a period of 3 years, as part of a major economic recovery intervention in Mali.

How does this fit into the UNDP agenda and how can the private and public sectors work more collaboratively to achieve sustainable goals?

The Sustainable Development Goals cannot be realized without leveraging the collaborative advantages of the private and public sector. The UNDP-TEF Entrepreneurship Program in Mali is an extension of the ongoing collaboration between our two organizations to support entrepreneurship development across the continent within the framework of the MoU signed in 2017.

The partnership with TEF is a strategic first step towards more effective collaboration with the private sector and non-state entities to empower vulnerable and under-served communities in rural and border areas through capacity building/training, mentoring and providing access to innovative financing schemes for promising young start-ups.

Similar to the previous 2 pilot programmes implemented in 2019 that supported 755 entrepreneurs from across the continent and over 2,000 entrepreneurs in the Sahel, the Mali programme seeks to harness the abundant entrepreneurial, creative and innovative spirit of its youth population in order to generate productive employment opportunities for a more inclusive economic recovery.

The UNDP has a large portfolio of work across Africa. What real challenges are there to achieving sustainable development in Africa?

The challenges in achieving sustainable development are complex and multi-dimensional. Issues of governance, inequality, peace and security, infrastructure, climate change, and many more, present serious impediments to realizing the SDGs.

Within the framework of UNDP’s Renewed Strategic Offer for Africa, a wide range of programmes, initiatives and interventions are being undertaken under 6 strategic impact areas (natural resource governance, youth and women employment and empowerment, structural economic transformation, climate change mitigation and adaption, affordable and sustainable energy, and peace and security). The objective of this framework is to leverage UNDP’s position as Africa’s leading enabler and integrator for the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the AU 2063 Agenda. It seeks to respond to the challenges faced on the continent by disrupting the way in which UNDP thinks, invests, manages and delivers- so that African countries can perform faster and better than ever to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

What role can African governments play on the road to recovery, especially considering the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic?

The coronavirus pandemic continues to have serious socio-economic and political effects that could reverse human development for the first time in 30 years. It has further exposed inequalities globally and continues to hit poorer economies and vulnerable populations harder. It is therefore the responsibility of governments, supported by development organizations, private sector and civil society, to respond effectively to the shocks caused by the pandemic and ensure that recovery is efficiently achieved.

The UN Secretary-General launched a $2 billion global humanitarian response fund for the most vulnerable countries, including many in Africa. UNDP plays a technical lead role in the UN’s socio-economic framework for post-pandemic recovery. This support ensures that governments have additional capacity and resources to effectively collect data, assess COVID-19 pathways and impact, and design integrated, effective and sustainable policy and programmatic responses.

The need for young people to be present and equally active where decisions are made cannot be overemphasised. How can we ensure that this is the case in every sector? 

Youth inclusion in decision making processes and leadership remains critical for sustainable development. In Africa, youth constitute more than 60% of the population. Disenfranchising this majority has been demonstrated to have dire long-term consequences. Ensuring that youth inclusion is mainstreamed in all areas for development calls for a combination and implementation of effective policies, programmes, and partnerships.

UNDP takes an innovative approach in addressing the challenges of youth inclusion. Our engagements ensure meaningful civic engagement, inclusion of youth in decision making processes, and the strengthening of youth-led interventions for conflict prevention, reconciliation and climate action. Working with government and non-state partners such as TEF enables us to execute improved catalytic effort and impact at scale.

What would success look like regarding youth development and entrepreneurship on the continent?

I would define successful youth development and entrepreneurship as equal access to socio-economic opportunities and resources for young people in a conducive and enabling environment. This includes enabling policy and regulatory frameworks, equal access to entrepreneurship and employment opportunities, development resources (such as information/knowledge, financing and technological tools), representation of young people in leadership and decision-making processes, strong youth civic engagement, and many more. The overall UNDP approach is to ensure youth participation as active agents of change rather than passive recipients of development assistance.

How does the partnership with the Tony Elumelu Foundation align with the purpose of empowering young Africans?

The UNDP partnership with TEF has been mutually reinforcing in efforts to empower young Africans. In prioritizing youth empowerment as a key focus area, the two organizations effectively collaborate on promoting and implementing projects on entrepreneurship development, Business Development Services (BDS), innovation, technology development, as well as fostering networks and market linkages. The collaboration aims to strengthen partnerships with state and non-state actors, engage private-sector corporations, and jointly develop structures for systematic monitoring and evaluation.

The entrepreneurship programme with TEF further compliments other UNDP youth development initiatives such as YouthConnekt and the Sahel Youth Programme.

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• 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.