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Tony Elumelu Foundation Announces 10th Cohort of Entrepreneurship Programme – 20,000 Entrepreneurs Funded Across Africa

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Tony Elumelu Foundation Announces 10th Cohort of Entrepreneurship Programme – 20,000 Entrepreneurs Funded Across Africa
Tony Elumelu
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  • 10th Cohort of the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme Announced

  • Over 50 business sectors from farming to technology represented.

  • 20,000 entrepreneurs from 54 countries across Africa funded in 10 years – doubling original target.

The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), the leading philanthropy empowering young African entrepreneurs from all 54 African countries, has announced the successful entrepreneurs in its tenth selection for the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme.

This new cohort brings to 20,000, the number of young African entrepreneurs who have received funding, mentoring, and capacity-building support from the Foundation, double the initial commitment.  The Tony Elumelu Foundation has disbursed US$100,000,000 directly to young African entrepreneurs, who have created over 400,000 direct and indirect jobs, contributing significantly to Africa’s economic growth and development. 46% of these beneficiaries are women, reiterating the Foundation’s commitment to gender inclusion and equity.

Past entrepreneurs selected across Africa include:

  • Stella Sigana, founder of Alternative Waste Technologies from Kenya, produces fuel briquettes by converting organic and charcoal waste from slum settlements, and dedicates a portion of the revenues to providing education, skills training, and job placement for adolescent girls and young women aged 18-24. Since her selection, Stella has created 12 jobs, generated over $79,000 in revenue, and recycled over 500 tons of waste into fuel briquettes for cooking. Her business model has also empowered hundreds of women entrepreneurs in slum settlements in Kenya, enabling them to build businesses by selling her products directly to their communities, thus significantly increasing household income and wellbeing.
  • Vital Sounouvou from Benin is the founder of Exportunity, an e-commerce platform that promotes export opportunities for Africans by connecting producers with traders. Through Exportunity, Sounouvou has engaged over 750 clients, and built a database of 85,000 companies trading with Africa. He has employed 32 people.
  • Nora Chaynane, a Moroccan entrepreneur, and founder of Shine Space, a socio-educational initiative aimed at bridging the knowledge gap and guiding students toward the right career path, helps young Moroccans develop technical and interpersonal skills beyond school curriculum requirements. Through Shine Space, Nora has upskilled and capacitised over 2,500 young Moroccans.

Since inception in 2010, the Tony Elumelu Foundation has pioneered an innovative approach to seeding, capacitising and networking young entrepreneurs across Africa.  Drawing directly from Founder Tony Elumelu’s entrepreneurial journey, the Foundation democratises luck, spreads opportunity, in a sector agnostic approach, and has developed a bespoke infrastructure that reaches every country in Africa.  The Foundation is driven by our Founder’s philosophy of Africapitalism, which advocates that the private sector, particularly entrepreneurs, must play the pivotal role in Africa’s development.

The robust ability of the Foundation to reach entrepreneurs across geographies and sectors has enabled it to conduct innovative partnerships with the European Union (EU), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the US Government via the United States African Development Foundation (USADF), the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), the French Development Agency (AFD), the German Development Finance Institution (DEG), the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the African Development Bank (AfDB), Sèmè City Development Agency, and Google, with bespoke programmes including targeting female empowerment and growth in fragile states. Building on its existing partnership with Sèmè City Development Agency, the Tony Elumelu Foundation will fund an additional 100 young entrepreneurs from Benin Republic in 2024.

Tony O. Elumelu shared: “As we mark a decade of impact, I am immensely proud of the incredible journey we have embarked on. Our entrepreneurs represent the driving force behind Africa’s economic transformation, and their resilience, determination, and innovation continue to inspire us all. The future of our continent is brighter because of their efforts.”

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As part of the Tony Elumelu Foundation’s commitment to support young Africans, the following ongoing opportunities are currently open for applications from young entrepreneurs across Africa on TEFConnect:

  • Women Entrepreneurship For Africa (WE4A), a partnership between the European Union, GIZ and TEF
  • Aguka Entrepreneurship Programme, a partnership between UNDP and TEF in Rwanda

African entrepreneurs are encouraged to apply to these initiatives to receive training, mentorship, access to networks, and funding.

To learn more about the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme “Decade of Impact” please see here. The success stories of these beneficiaries can be found here, and a full breakdown of the Foundation’s beneficiaries across Africa can be found here. <<link to fact sheet>>

For media inquiries, please contact:

Moyo Awotile

Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications

+234-809-975-1482, moyo.awotile@tonyelumelufoundation.org

About the Tony Elumelu Foundation

The Tony Elumelu Foundation is the leading philanthropy empowering a new generation of African entrepreneurs, driving poverty eradication, catalysing job creation across all 54 African countries, and increasing women economic empowerment. Since the launch of the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme in 2015, the Foundation has provided access to over 1.5 million young Africans on its digital hub, TEFConnect, and disbursed over USD$100 million in direct funding to 20,000 young African women and men, who have collectively created over 400,000 direct and indirect jobs.

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IPoB reshuffles leadership as Nnamdi Kanu dissolves DoS

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NFIU exposes financing channels of IPOB, terror groups
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The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB, has announced a major restructuring of its leadership hierarchy, with its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, dissolving the third administration of the group’s Directorate of State, DoS, and inaugurating a new leadership team.

In a statement issued Wednesday from Langerfeld, Germany, IPoB said Kanu approved the dissolution of the outgoing administration and appointed United States-based Mazi Chris Nwaogu as the new Head of the Directorate of State.

According to the statement, Nwaogu is to assume immediate responsibility for the administration, coordination, and day-to-day management of the organisation’s affairs under Kanu’s authority.

The group explained that the Directorate of State, established in 2012, serves as the administrative arm of IPOB.

Previous heads of the body were Dr Justin Akujieze, Mazi Uchenna Asiegbu, and Chika Edoziem, who led the third administration from 2017.

IPOB said the decision followed what it described as a review of the performance of the outgoing leadership during a critical period in the movement’s history.

The statement cited concerns over the welfare of detained members, internal disagreements, organisational cohesion, communication challenges, and the need for renewed strategic direction as factors behind the leadership change.

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“The dissolution of the third administration is ultimately not an act of vengeance but an act of organisational renewal,” the statement said.

The group maintained that the new leadership has been mandated to rebuild confidence within the organisation, strengthen internal unity, improve communication structures, and focus on the welfare of members.

As part of the reorganisation, IPOB announced the establishment of an Elders Advisory Council, which it said would function as a strategic advisory body between the group’s leader and the Directorate of State.

The newly constituted Directorate includes Mazi Solomon Egbo as Deputy Head of DOS; Nwada Ogwu Nnennaya Anya I. as Head of Finance and Budget Planning; Mazi Chigozie Okekenta as Coordinator of Coordinators; Dr. Chukwudi Nwogwugwu as Head of Medical and Welfare Planning; and Barrister Ikechukwu Onuoha as Head of Media.

IPOB also retained Comrade Emma Powerful as Spokesperson and Media and Publicity Secretary, while naming representatives for Africa, Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East.

In addition, the organisation announced several national appointments, including coordinators for Germany, Italy, and Switzerland.

The statement further directed all IPOB officers, coordinators, and unit heads worldwide to establish contact with the group’s headquarters in Germany for further directives.

IPOB also announced the reinstatement of previously suspended or expelled officers, stating that affected individuals had been reintegrated into the organisation pending further administrative review.The group urged members and supporters to remain united and committed as the new administration assumes office.“The day-to-day affairs of the Indigenous People of Biafra shall henceforth be piloted by Mazi Chris Nwaogu and his team in accordance with the directives and vision of Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” the statement added.

The leadership changes come amid ongoing efforts by the pro -Biafra group to re-organise its structures and activities both within Nigeria and across its international chapters.

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26-year-old Lawyer dies while celebrating Ghana’s World Cup victory over Panama

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A 26-year-old lawyer, Sara Araba Tettey, has tragically died while celebrating Ghana’s World Cup victory over Panama.

Tettey, a newly qualified lawyer and alumna of the Faculty of Law at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), was among millions of Ghanaians rejoicing over the Black Stars’ triumph when tragedy struck.

According to reports, she suffered a cardiac arrest while watching the match with friends at Standard Hostel, a private student hostel located at Bomso near the KNUST campus in Kumasi.

Witnesses immediately rushed her to the KNUST Hospital, where medical personnel reportedly spent about 45 minutes administering Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) in a desperate attempt to save her life. Sadly, all efforts proved unsuccessful, and she was pronounced dead.
Tettey had only recently been called to the Ghana Bar, making her sudden death even more heartbreaking for family, friends, colleagues, and members of the legal community.

News of her passing has spread rapidly across the country, casting a shadow over what had been a moment of national celebration. While Ghanaians continue to celebrate the Black Stars’ victory, many are also mourning the loss of a promising young professional whose life was cut short.

The tragic incident has once again highlighted the importance of emergency preparedness and rapid medical response during large public and social events.

What should have been a day remembered solely for Ghana’s sporting success has instead become a day marked by both celebration and sorrow.

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Shocking! Vandals excavate, steal 3km of Port Harcourt–Kaduna Pipeline after spending months in South-East forest

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A petroleum product pipeline
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A major national security and economic sabotage has unfolded in Nigeria’s South-East as suspected pipeline vandals have excavated and removed more than three kilometres of a strategic high-pressure petroleum pipeline.

The pipeline transports refined petroleum products from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to Kaduna in Northern Nigeria.

An investigation revealed that the large-scale vandalisation occurred in remote forests straddling Eha-Amufu in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State and Obeagu Community in Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, raising serious questions about security oversight and the protection of critical national infrastructure.

The affected pipeline forms part of Nigeria’s vital petroleum distribution network, conveying petroleum products from the Port Harcourt refinery corridor through several states to northern parts of the country.

During a visit to the scene, SaharaReporters observed extensive excavation trenches stretching across difficult terrain, with evidence suggesting that the operation was carried out over an extended period rather than as a hit-and-run criminal activity.

The scale of the operation indicates a highly organised network involving specialised equipment, logistics support and detailed knowledge of the pipeline route.

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Reaching the vandalised section underscored the remoteness of the operation. It took the media over three hours and twenty minutes to reach the area by motorcycle.

At one point, the journey became impossible by road, forcing our crew and the commercial motorcyclist conveying them to abandon the motorcycle and trek more than two kilometres through a dense forest before arriving at the site.

At the scene, large sections of the pipeline had already been excavated and removed, leaving behind deep trenches and signs of heavy mechanical activity.

Residents of both Eha-Amufu and Obeagu communities alleged that the operation was masterminded by a businessman in Ebonyi State, whose identity could not be ascertained at the time of filing this report.

According to multiple sources familiar with the operation, the suspect allegedly mobilised dozens of workers from Abakaliki area of Ebonyi State and established a makeshift camp inside the forest for weeks or even months, while the excavation progressed.

One source told SaharaReporters: “I don’t know his real name. He came with more than 50 able-bodied men from Izzi. They spent over two months inside the bush excavating the pipeline.”

The source added that after exposing the buried infrastructure, the group deployed specialised cutting equipment to slice the pipes into transportable sections before evacuating them in trucks.

“They dug up the pipeline, cut it into pieces using heavy machinery and loaded the materials onto trucks. They lived in the forest throughout the operation. They evacuated the pipes in the dead of the night with assistance of corrupt elements in the security,” the resident said.

Residents expressed shock that such a large-scale operation could have continued for months without attracting decisive intervention from authorities.

Several sources alleged that multiple security agencies operating in the area were aware of the activities of the criminals. (SaharaReporters)

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