TEF forum 2017: When Elumelu hosted world’s largest gathering of African entrepreneurs

The largest gathering of African entrepreneurs in the world at the heart of Nigeria’s economic capital, Lagos State, held at the weekend as Nigerian billionaire, Tony Elumelu welcomed over 1,000 Africans for Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship (#TEFforum2017) in the city, Friday.

The forum is a two-day event and it featured plenary panels, masterclasses, and sector specific networking opportunities as well as policy-led talks focused on improving the enabling environment for African businesses.

It is the first time more than 1,000 people will be gathered in Lagos for the forum.

“This is the first year we have opened the forum up to include not just the 1,000 Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurs from the 2017 cycle of our Programme, but the full pan-African entrepreneurship ecosystem. In doing so, we are allowing disparate SME communities to come together and expand the possibilities for intra-African partnerships. I urge policymakers and investors to join us at the Forum as we empower the next generation of African business titans,” Parminder Vir, TEF Chief Executive Officer, said in an earlier statement put out by the foundation.

Mr Elumelu, who is committing USD$100 million of his own money to empower 10,000 African entrepreneurs over the course of 10 years, sort of gave a glimpse of what’s to be expected earlier on Thursday as he tweeted “in full swing, gearing up for this weekend’s largest gathering of African entrepreneurs in Lagos.” The tweet was accompanied by three photographs showing that the African billionaire is ready to host the largest gathering of African entrepreneurs in his city, Lagos.

“Since launching the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme – and committing $100 million to empowering 10,000 African entrepreneurs in a decade – we have unleashed our continent’s most potent development force.

“In just three years, our 3,000 entrepreneurs have created tens of thousands of jobs and generated considerable wealth. On October 13 and 14, we invite the global entrepreneurship community to Lagos toward the realization of a New Africa, a thriving, self-reliant continent capable of replicating the results we have seen in our ground-breaking programme,”  –  its entrepreneurs,” Tony O. Elumelu, founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation also said in an earlier statement put out by the foundation.

Supported by the United Bank for Africa (UBA) on which Elumelu serves as chairman, the event began on Friday with an opening address by Dr Awele Elumelu, chairperson Avon Healthcare Limited. Two plenaries held on Friday as well as a mastercalss, with Somachi Chris Asoluka, Head, Policy and External Relations, TEF; Sam Nwanze, Chief Investment Officer, Heirs Holding; Kola Karim, GMD, Shoreline Energy; Edward Kallon; United Nations Resident Coordinator, Nigeria and David Rice, Professor at New York University facilitating the first plenary titled Africapitalism 360.

Speakers for the two-day event included: Wale Ayeni, International Finance Corporation; Stephen Tio Kauma, Afrexim Bank; Andre Hue, African Development Bank; Stephen M. Haykin, USAID Nigeria; Heikke Reugger, European Investment Bank; Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, United Nations Development Programme, among others.