The Rise & Rise Of Tony Elumelu.

Talk about driving entrepreneurship in Africa and the name Tony Elumelu readily comes to mind.

Over the years, billionaire entrepreneur and business strategist, Tony Elumelu has continued to remain at the peak of what he knows how to do best and be has continued to prove that it is innate.

On this Note, we are Dedicating the first edition of the INTERFACE AFRICA-Money & Impact Exclusive publication to a Nigerian born Banking Colossus, Philanthropist and AFRICAPITALIST, Tony Elumelu, CFR.

This edition of interface Africa Money & Impact Exclusive publication Deep dived into the central role The Tony Elumelu Foundation is playing in the continent of Africa, Tony’s Fitness Enthusiasm and Patriotism.

In 2013, at a dinner with President Barack Obama and African Business leaders in Tanzania, Tony Elumelu conceived the First US-Africa Summit, as he advised the President to use the convening power of his office to institutionalise an Avenue for the US Government to engage more closely with the African public and private sectors. This gave birth to the first US-Africa Leaders Summit in 2014.

The current President Joebiden’s administration has sustained the legacy, through close cooperation with the Tony Elumelu Foundation to facilitate the summit that tangibly addresses the needs of the African continent.

The Tony Elumelu Foundation, a leading African private sector led philanthropy committed to empowering African entrepreneurs founded in 2010 by Billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist Tony O. Elumelu and Co-Founder, Dr. (Mrs) Awele Elumelu, chairperson of Avon Healthcare Limited, Nigeria’s leading health insurance provider, and the founder and CEO of Avon Medical Practice, a growing network of full-service clinics and onsite facilities with corporate institutions, focused on expanding and improving access to quality health care in Nigeria. While, Ms. Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu is the CEO.

Speaking at the 2022 U.S.-Africa Business Forum (USABF) opening plenary, Mr. Tony O. Elumelu (@tonyoelumelu) said:

“there’s need to change the stereotype, we need to change the mindset, we need to understand in our boardroom that Africa has opportunities. A continent of 1.6 billion people, if you have 100 or 1000 people bad that should not paint all of Africa as being corrupt or fraudulent.

“Let us change the mind-set about Africa. Let us embrace Africa the way we embrace other parts of the world. Let us open up. There are some companies today that do not have access to facilities. Even the app stores, certain app stores you can’t have access because you’re based in Africa”. “That is modern-day discrimination in digital spaces. We need to correct that.”

So far, the Foundation has empowered 7,520 African entrepreneurs across 54 African countries. And of the opinion that the private sector should be playing a critical role in the development of Africa by focusing on social, sustainable, environmental and equality projects & ideas. Through the Sustainable Development Goals, TEF aims to bring peace and prosperity to all.

“The greatest success in Leadership is being able to replicate yourself”. — Tony O. Elumelu

The Giant Strides

The Tony Elumelu Foundation launched the Tony & Awele Elumelu Prize, an award that recognised and rewarded 130 students from 16 universities across Nigeria and three other West African universities.

The Tony Elumelu Foundation also launched the Elumelu Professionals Programme (initially known as African Markets Internship Programme), an internship programme that matched 87 MBA students and graduates from top business schools in Africa, Europe and Asia to African businesses, with peer African MBA students for internships with fast growing African companies, demonstrating the private sector opportunities in Africa.

Heirs Holdings and The Tony Elumelu Foundation made their first joint impact investment outside Nigeria – Mtanga Farms in Tanzania, a business developing innovative approaches to increasing Africa’s agricultural yields.

It was the year that Elumelu first introduced the term “Africapitalism,” his belief that Africa’s private sector can and must play a leading role in the continent’s development, seeking both economic and social returns.

Tony Elumelu Foundation empowered 20 tech businesses with US $100,000 seed funding through Nigerian accelerator, CCHub Nigeria.

It launched the ‘Blair-Elumelu Governance Initiative’, in partnership with the Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative (AGI), a dedicated programme of skill building for senior civil servants, focusing on adopting private sector approaches to deliver for public good.

In 2013, Heirs Holdings committed US$2.5bn, as the single largest private sector investor in President Obama Power Africa initiative. The innovative partnership ambition is to add 30,000MW of new electricity generation capacity, to increase electricity access by at least 60 million new connections in sub-Saharan Africa..

In 2015, the Tony Elumelu Foundation launched its flagship Entrepreneurship Programme committing US $100 million to identify, train, mentor and fund 10,000 African entrepreneurs over 10 years, across 54 African countries. The Programme has empowered over 9,000 entrepreneurs across Africa.

The Tony Elumelu Foundation partners with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to empower 200 entrepreneurs from Nigeria’s North East and Niger Delta communities.

The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), partnered with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the German Government’s Agency for International Cooperation, to empower 210 young African entrepreneurs, focusing specifically on female entrepreneurs and tech-enabled businesses.

All these wouldn’t have be possible if not for the dogged determination; laser focus; tenacity; restlessness; and resilience of the founder, Mr Tony and his team .

The Fitness Enthusiast -More and more Celebrities are earning reputations as fitness professional

Besides being an excellent Africapitalist, Tony Elumelu is also a fitness enthusiast whose workout routine has been consistently nothing but remarkable…Just as he desn’t joke with any of his business, he takes his fitness routine very seriously. Friends and family that are very close to him will readily confirm that keeping fit for Mr. Tony is serious business.

Tony Elumelu, is known to be a stylish man who is living his best life. Over the years, he seems to have perfected the art of working hard, yet doing it in style..

Special Thanks to the Tony Elumelu Foundation for all you do to support African entrepreneurs and your active involvement in making a difference and positive impact.