Lagos, Nigeria, 23 March 2015 \u2014 The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF)<\/p>\n
is pleased to announce the selection of the first 1,000 African
\nentrepreneurs for the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP).
\nTEEP is a $100 million initiative to discover and support 10,000 African
\nentrepreneurs over the next decade, with a target of creating one million
\nnew jobs and $10 billion in additional revenues in the process.<\/p>\n
Over 20,000 African entrepreneurs from 52 countries applied to the programme,
\nrepresenting the creativity and potential on display across the continent.
\nThe initial 1,000 selected for the 2015 class are a remarkable group of
\nentrepreneurs who are a testament to the ability of Africa\u2019s own
\nentrepreneurs to drive Africa\u2019s growth and development.<\/p>\n
Speaking on the desired impact of the programme, Founder, Mr. Tony O.
\nElumelu, CON, commented: \u201cThe selection of these 1000 entrepreneurs brings
\nus closer to our ultimate goal – to drive Africa\u2019s economic and social
\ntransformation from within and to radically intensify job creation in
\nAfrica. Though I have never met or spoken to any of the winners, I am
\nconfident that due to the rigorous criteria and selection process, these
\nentrepreneurs are Africa\u2019s hope for the future. I will continue to invest
\nmy experience, time, influence, and resources to see them succeed. I am
\nembarking on this journey with these entrepreneurs hopeful and inspired.\u201d<\/p>\n
The winners represent 52 African countries and territories, as well as a
\nmultitude of value adding sectors ranging from agriculture to education to
\nfashion and ICT. The top five countries in terms of numbers of winners are
\nNigeria, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and Ghana. All five African regions
\n\u2013 North, East, Southern, Central and West Africa are represented, as well
\nas all major language blocs \u2013 Anglophone, Francophone, Lusophone, and
\nArabic Africa. More than anything else, they epitomize the opportunity
\nand promise of Africa.<\/p>\n
The Tony Elumelu Foundation appointed Accenture as an independent review
\nconsultant to thoroughly evaluate each application based on selection
\ncriteria approved by the TEEP Selection Committee. Following Accenture\u2019s
\nindependent review, a meeting of the TEEP Selection Committee, made up of
\nsuccessful entrepreneurs and development experts from across Africa, was
\nheld today in Lagos to approve the final list of winners.<\/p>\n
The 1000 selected entrepreneurs will continue through the programme cycle
\nover the next nine months. This cycle includes an intensive online
\ntraining curriculum, mentoring, and participation in a two-day
\nentrepreneurship boot-camp and the Elumelu<\/p>\n
Entrepreneurship Forum. The over 19,000 entrepreneurs who were not
\nselected will be invited to join the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Network
\nwhere they will be able to further hone their entrepreneurial knowledge
\nand skills.<\/p>\n
Parminder Vir OBE, Director of Entrepreneurship at the Tony Elumelu
\nFoundation, said: \u201cThe high quantity and quality of applicants we have
\nreceived is testament to the brilliant ideas and incredible talent that
\nexists in abundance across Africa. The Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship
\nProgramme will give structure and support to these African entrepreneurs
\nto develop themselves and to grow their businesses. Through TEEP, the
\nripple effects of the long-term investments in a new generation of
\nAfricapitalists will be felt throughout the continent.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lagos, Nigeria, 23 March 2015 \u2014 The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) is pleased to announce the selection of the first 1,000 African entrepreneurs for the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP).…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36999,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n