Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Tony Elumelu Foundation has selected 4 949 entrepreneurs from across Africa for its 2021 entrepreneurship programme, and Burger Eats Namibia has made that cut.
Helen Ngodji, part of the Burger Eats team, said they underwent an intensive eight-month training and were selected to be among 4 000 candidates who are eligible for the seed capital.
“We gained strategic business operational and marketing skills during the training at the Tony Elumelu online campus. Out of the 20 000 entrepreneurs who pitched, we were among the 4 000 candidates who are eligible for seed capital,” she said, adding that this was a huge milestone for the company.
The 2021 beneficiaries were selected from a pool of over 400 000 applications, based on their innovation, performance, and growth potential to create jobs and eradicate poverty on the continent.
Consisting of both new start-ups and existing small businesses, the 2021 Tony Elumelu entrepreneurs have undergone business training, mentorship and coaching and will have life-time access to the Tony Elumelu Foundation alumni network.
The founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), Tony Elumelu, said young African entrepreneurs should work hard, dream dreams, and be very disciplined.
“You must continue to think of impact. The entrepreneurship journey is not linear – there are ups and downs, but by staying focused and resilient, ultimately success will come your way. What you do as entrepreneurs will go a long way in lifting Africa out of poverty. I am happy that our female entrepreneurs are doing very well, with 68% representation this year,” said the billionaire.
Elumelu also appealed to African leaders – these young, intelligent, energetic, hard working, resilient Africans need to be supported. “We need to keep creating the right enabling environment to enable our young ones to succeed. We must realise that their success is success for all of us on the continent. We must prioritise them because nations and continents that prioritise their people, succeed,” he said.
He further encouraged business leaders to realise that in the 21st century and beyond, it is about impact, legacy and how we work together to power people out of poverty.
“It is such a great feeling to see 5 000 young Africans also commence their own entrepreneurial journeys today,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, the assistant administrator and director of United Nations Development Programme Regional Bureau for Africa, Ahunna Eziakonwa, said Africa will only succeed when young Africans are given the opportunity to excel.
“This is what has inspired us to invest more than US$20 million in emerging African entrepreneurs. Our joint ambition is to empower 100 000 young African entrepreneurs over the next 10 years across Africa, recognising that entrepreneurship is the only way dreams can be realised,” she said.
The 2015 Tony Elumelu entrepreneur and founder of Afrik Abaya, Hauwa Liman, said he benefited from the programme in 2015 and it opened up lots of doors and opportunities.
“It is not just about the seed capital, but what really fascinates me about the programme is the knowledge. I call it a mini-MBA programme, because from the ideation stage it teaches you how to really articulate your business, and it gave me my first business plan. The network, visibility and opportunities are endless,” he said.
Tony Elumelu Foundation chief executive officer, Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu, also speaking at the awarding event, said the foundation in 2021 has trained 10 times more young African entrepreneurs than from 2015 to 2019 combined.
“We will be paying out a record US$24,7 million directly into the hands of African entrepreneurs from all 54 African countries. This is an impact,” she said.
Since its inception, the Tony Elumelu Foundation has now funded 15 847 entrepreneurs, who have created more than 400 000 direct and indirect jobs and counting. Applications for the 2022 Tony Elumelu Foundation open on 1 January 2022.
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