By Abbas Nazil
Lagos, Nigeria – January 1, 2025 – The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), Africa’s foremost advocate for entrepreneurship, has officially opened applications for its 2025 Entrepreneurship Programmes.
Aspiring and existing entrepreneurs across the continent are invited to participate in this transformative opportunity, which provides world-class training, expert mentorship, and non-refundable seed capital to help scale innovative businesses.
The flagship Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme is accessible to all African entrepreneurs with innovative ideas or businesses not older than five years.
This year, the programme places a special emphasis on ventures leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and green initiatives. Applicants must be at least 18 years old to qualify.
Additionally, the IYBA-WE4A (Investing in Young Businesses in Africa – Women Entrepreneurship for Africa) Programme, conducted in partnership with the European Union and GIZ, targets women entrepreneurs in select countries.
This initiative focuses on green business ideas and operations in Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, Kenya, Mozambique, Malawi, and Togo.
In Rwanda, the Aguka Ideation Programme supports young entrepreneurs aged 18-30 with $3,000 seed funding.
Partnering with the Rwandan Ministry of Youth and UNDP, this programme nurtures innovative ideas into sustainable enterprises.
All applications are to be submitted via TEFConnect, the Foundation’s proprietary digital platform, from January 1 to March 1, 2025. Entrepreneurs are encouraged to apply early to ensure consideration.
Founded in 2010, TEF has empowered over 2.5 million young Africans through training, disbursing more than $100 million in funding to 21,000 entrepreneurs.
This effort has catalyzed the creation of over 800,000 jobs and $4.2 billion in revenue across the continent, underscoring TEF’s commitment to Africapitalism and Africa’s economic transformation.
For further details, visit the TEF website or contact Moyo Awotile at the provided email: moyo.awotile@tonyelumelufoundation.org
