TEF Announces Its Fourth Annual Entrepreneurship Forum
Africa’s entrepreneurship-focused philanthropic platform, the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), under the leadership of Tony Elumelu, the CEO of United Bank for Africa (UBA), has announced October 25th as the day it will hold its fourth annual TEF Entrepreneurship Forum.
What is regarded as the largest gathering of African entrepreneurs and the broader ecosystem will be uniting more than 5,000 entrepreneurs, global investors, leaders from the African public and private sectors, as well as developmental organizations at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The TEF Entrepreneurship Forum is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for idea generation, as it will well forge networks, bring policymakers and stakeholders in the private sector together, in what will be a spirit of robust debate and interaction. The 2018 cohorts from the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Program, as well as mentors and partners, will all pay attendance, as the final lap of their intensive twelve-week induction.
Following in the suit of similar moves to better Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, prominently that of French President Emmanuel Macron to bring politicians face to face with the new generation of young businesspersons, the TEF Forum will include an interactive session with the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta and President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, moderated by the philanthropist and TEF founder, Tony O. Elumelu.
This event will as well feature the official unveiling of the TEFConnect initiative, what is intended to be the world’s largest digital platform for African entrepreneurs, dedicated to connecting the practitioners with the vast ecosystem of Africa.
According to Tony Elumelu, in just four years, TEF has directly impacted 4,460 entrepreneurs and beginning to see tangible outcomes – job creation and ripple effects. “But most importantly, a recognition that Africa’s economic well-being is driven by entrepreneurs, including females, male, large and small – they are the engine of Africa’s transformation.”
Tony Elumelu disclosed that the foundation would be championing and celebrating African entrepreneurs at the forum. He said that TEF is achieving the right scale and impact as it has received more than 150,000 applications in 2017 alone, up from 20,000 applications in 2015. “We are now calling on the current generation of African success stories and others to collaborate with us to see how we can further create impact, genuinely transform millions of lives and upheave the number of inspiring stories we will be hearing in Lagos’.
The CEO of TEF, Parminder Vir Obe stated that the TEF Entrepreneurship Forum is the one event across Africa that convenes the entirety of the African entrepreneurship ecosystem, demonstrating the foundation’s commitment to capturing the whole continuum – from entrepreneurs themselves, governments who must provide enabling environments, to capital, and maybe most importantly access and network.
