At least 2 heads of state expected at 4th Tony Elumelu Foundation’s 4th annual largest gathering of African entrepreneurs

More than 5,000 entrepreneurs, global investors, leaders from the African public and private sectors as well as developmental organisations will converge in Lagos, in 72 days for the fourth annual gathering of the largest African entrepreneurs in the world for the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), Per Second News was told Tuesday.

In keeping with the Foundation’s track record―most recently with President Macron of France ― of bringing politicians face to face with the new generation of young business women and men shaping Africa, the Forum will include an interactive session with President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, moderated by TEF Founder, Tony O. Elumelu.

The forum, now in its fourth season will hold on October 25, 2018 at the the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos, Africa’s leading entrepreneurship-focused philanthropic organisation, announced this evening.

“In just four years, we have directly impacted 4,460 entrepreneurs, and we are beginning to see the results – job creation, ripple effects, but most importantly a recognition that Africa’s economic well-being is driven by entrepreneurs: female and male, large and small – they are the engine of our continent’s transformation.

“We will be championing and celebrating them. This year, we are truly achieving scale and impact; we received over 150,000 applications in 2017 alone, up from 20,000 applications in 2015. We are now calling on the current generation of African success stories and others to partner with us to see how we can all further create impact, genuinely transform millions of lives and increase the number of inspiring stories we will be hearing in Lagos,” founder of the philanthropic organisation, Tony Elumelu said, regarding the forum.

The entrepreneurship forum and the broader entrepreneurship ecosystem provides a “unique opportunity to generate ideas, forge networks and bring policymakers and the private sector together, in a spirit of robust debate and interaction,” TEF added in an emailed statement.

The 2018 cohort from the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme, as well as mentors and partners, will be present, as the culmination of their intensive twelve-week induction.

The Forum will also feature the launch of the TEFConnect, the world’s largest digital platform for African entrepreneurs, dedicated to connecting African entrepreneurs and the entrepreneurship ecosystem.