By Oluchi Chibuzor
The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), one of Africa’s leading philanthropy empowering young African entrepreneurs from all 54 African countries has disclosed that it successfully trained over 200,000 entrepreneurs in core business management skills as part of its 2021 TEF Entrepreneurship Programme.
The Business Management training was conducted exclusively on TEFConnect, the Foundation’s proprietary digital platform that provides capacity-building support, advisory and market linkages to over one million Africans, a statement from the organisation explained.
The TEF Entrepreneurship Programme Business Management Training equips entrepreneurs with critical skills required to launch and run their businesses at the early growth stage.
“With a unique curriculum that encompasses topics on ‘Starting Your Business, Business Management & Fundamentals, Leadership & Business Growth, Selecting and Building a Team,’ amongst others, entrepreneurs are effectively armed to achieve business growth, profitability, and sustained success.
“Entrepreneurs were hosted to weekly information sessions, as part of the training, to address relevant concerns and share vital programme updates.
“All entrepreneurs received active support from coaches and mentors who provided technical guidance, counsel and one-one interaction throughout the duration of the training programme,” it added.
It explained that the training, which was one element of the seven pillars of the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, was carried out in the official African languages including English, French, Portuguese and Arabic, and over 40 percent of trained participants were women.
Commenting on the development, the CEO of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu, said: “Every year, our commitment to transform Africa is further strengthened with the passion, resilience and talent of the high-calibre entrepreneurs who onboard our flagship programme. Our curricular provides a holistic opportunity for entrepreneurs to learn, grow and contribute to the development of their communities.”
She added: “Furthermore, it is a testament to the eagerness and readiness of African entrepreneurs across all of Africa to make themselves available to transform the continent for good.
“I would like to commend these entrepreneurs for their discipline, dedication and hard work throughout the training and look forward to the immense impact of their businesses across diverse sectors in Africa. We remain committed to empowering African entrepreneurs with the required resources and support that will ensure that their businesses can scale and drive sustainable change on the continent.”
