(Issue, Monday, August 22, 2016)
The
Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme, popularly known as TEEP, is
an act of faith in our entrepreneurs to transform our continent.
In
TEEP’s first year we spent over $8 million of our $100 million commitment -
with $5 million going directly to entrepreneurs as seed capital. We have funded
entrepreneurs, established pan-African networks and helped extraordinary people
take control of their destinies.
At
the end of our 10-year commitment, Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurs will become a
generation of dynamic African business owners, who will prove that local
business growth will drive Africa’s economic and social transformation.
I
believe that by the end of this “Decade of African Entrepreneurship,” thousands
of businesses will grow and flourish, driving sustainable prosperity across
Africa. Furthermore, they will create ripples and waves of economic
transformation across the continent.
This
is my vision. As you’ll see in the following pages, the Foundation’s flagship
programme has outpaced my wildest dreams and is showing signs of becoming a
juggernaut in the global entrepreneurial ecosystem.
It
has truly gone glob al and I invite you to learn more about the p r o g r a m
me a n d j o i n u s i n e m p o w e r i
n g t h e n e at generation of African entrepreneurs.
The
foundation was established in 2010, The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) is the
leading philanthropic organization in Africa with the aim of promoting
entrepreneurship as the catalyst for the socio-economic development of the
continent. The Foundation has set itself apart from grant-making bodies, by
operationalizing integrated programmes to support entrepreneurship in Africa
and by enhancing the competitiveness of the African private sector. We have
built a reputation for successfully implementing diverse programmes to achieve
this, including:
•
Promoting entrepreneurship: Elumelu Professionals’ Programme (EPP), Nigeria 50,
Impact Investments, grant to Co-Creation Hub and now the flagship - The Tony
Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP); • Enhancing competitiveness:
National Competitiveness Council of Nigeria (NCCN), Blair-Elumelu Fellows
Programme; • Selective grant making: to other bodies pursuing aligned and
strategic causes e.g. Tony Blair African Governance Initiative, Kofi Annan
Foundation, John Kufor Foundation, One Org, Rothschild Foundation; • Leadership
development: Recognition of excellence through The Tony & Awele Elumelu
Prize (TAEP) & The Fellows Programme; and • Policy development: research
and advocacy through the research arm (formerly the Africa capitalism
Institute).
