<\/p>\n
Abidjan, C\u00f4te D\u2019Ivoire, 21 April 2016 \u2013 At the 5th edition of the annual<\/p>\n
forum, CGECI Academy 2016, the Ivorian National Council of Employers,<\/p>\n
General Confederation of Enterprises of C\u00f4te d’Ivoire (CGECI) presented<\/p>\n
African businessman and investor, Tony Elumelu, with its 2016 CGECI<\/p>\n
Lifetime Achievement Award on April 21, 2016 in Abidjan, C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire.<\/p>\n
The formal presentation was to honour Mr. Elumelu on his leadership and<\/p>\n
key role as an African business champion. The event was attended by over<\/p>\n
three thousand delegates across Africa including top government officials,<\/p>\n
business leaders, established and aspiring entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Addressing guests present at the event, Chairman of African investments<\/p>\n
company, Heirs Holdings, UBA Plc and Transcorp Plc, Mr. Tony Elumelu<\/p>\n
delivered a keynote speech where he advocated for the collaboration of the<\/p>\n
private and public sectors to create value in the global competitive<\/p>\n
business landscape.\u00a0 He said, \u201cSMEs are the backbone of any economy<\/p>\n
anywhere in the world.\u00a0 And when governments ignore the private sector and<\/p>\n
fail to attend to their obligations to create and sustain enabling<\/p>\n
environments for businesses to thrive and flourish, the consequences are<\/p>\n
stark – low GDP growth, mass unemployment, ethnic strife and possibly,<\/p>\n
even food and health crises and in some cases, violent conflict\u201d.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mr. Elumelu also addressed entrepreneurs, urging them to seek<\/p>\n
opportunities to accelerate their business success \u2014 including through The<\/p>\n
Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP). \u201cWe are<\/p>\n
champions of African development because we are Africapitalists. Through<\/p>\n
Africapitalism, I seek to evangelize what works for successful business<\/p>\n
investments and inspire other entrepreneurs like yourselves; to also make<\/p>\n
the promotion of national and regional development a strategic priority<\/p>\n
for your businesses\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
TEEP is his 10-year, $100 million commitment, to identify and empower<\/p>\n
10,000 African entrepreneurs, create one million jobs and add $10 billion<\/p>\n
in revenues to Africa\u2019s economy. So far, seventeen (17) entrepreneurs from<\/p>\n
C\u00f4te d’Ivoire have received grants and training from the programme.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Since its initiation in 2012 by the Ivorian National council of Employers,<\/p>\n
the annual economic forum, CGECI Academy, has provided a platform to raise<\/p>\n
awareness among African entrepreneurs about existing sources of capital<\/p>\n
and investors available to help grow and develop their businesses. The<\/p>\n
forum seeks to change the paradigm of access to finance in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire,<\/p>\n
creating a platform for sharing experiences and expertise. Furthermore, it<\/p>\n
aims to present the Ivorian private sector to regional and international<\/p>\n
partners and highlight the achievements and the opportunities within it.<\/p>\n
Other activities during the event include the announcement of the yearly<\/p>\n
business plan competition and a segment dedicated to sharing the<\/p>\n
experiences and testimonials of entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, Daniel<\/p>\n
Kablan Duncan, and the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Sir Anerood Jugnauth,<\/p>\n
among other business leaders and senior government officials.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Abidjan, C\u00f4te D\u2019Ivoire, 21 April 2016 \u2013 At the 5th edition of the annual forum, CGECI Academy 2016, the Ivorian National Council of Employers, General Confederation of Enterprises of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48781,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n