How African Startups Can Have Their Shares In Tony Elumelu Foundation’s $100m Grant In 2020

The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) — Africa’s leading philanthropy dedicated to empowering African entrepreneurs — will begin accepting applications for the 2020 cohort of the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, on January 1, 2020 — Visit https://tefconnect.com/ to apply now!

Mr Tony O. Elumelu, CON
Mr Tony O. Elumelu, CON

Applications are made through TEFConnect, the digital networking hub for the African entrepreneurship ecosystem, created by the Foundation.

The Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme is open to entrepreneurs from across Africa, either with new startup ideas or existing businesses of less than 3 years existence, operating in any sector. Successful applicants will join the over 9,000 current beneficiaries, from 54 African countries, and receive business training, mentoring, a non-refundable $5,000 of seed capital and global networking opportunities.

Last year, the Foundation received about 216,000 applications, with 42% coming from women entrepreneurs, from every country on the continent.

The Programme is a 10-year, $100 million commitment to identify, train, mentor and fund 10,000 young African entrepreneurs. The goal is to create millions of jobs and the revenue required for the sustainable development of the continent, implementing the philosophy of Africapitalism, which positions the private sector as the growth engine for Africa and emphasises the importance of creating social and economic wealth.

Read Also: Frequently Asked Questions About TEF Entrepreneurship Programme

According to the Foundation’s 2018 Impact Report, 70% of the total number of businesses in its alumni network were still operational two years after benefitting from the Programme. The report also identified an increase of 189% revenue generated and 197% increase in the number of additional jobs created by beneficiaries post-graduation from the Programme, as well as a 100% commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals.

TEEP has received several global support and partnership from international and development agencies like the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, The International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC, The French Development Agency, OFDA, amongst others.

The programme was founded by African Billionaire and Philanthropist Mr Tony O. Elumelu, CON who is a firm believer in the empowerment of African entrepreneurs, to solve challenges in the continent, create wealth and address issues like poverty.

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based Lawyer with special focus on Business Law, Intellectual Property Rights, Entertainment and Technology Law. He is also an award-winning writer. Working for notable organizations so far has exposed him to some of industry best practices in business, finance strategies, law, dispute resolution, and data analytics both in Nigeria and across the world