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"Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) Entrepreneurship Programme" is currently closed and not accepting applications.
Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) Entrepreneurship Programme is sponsored by Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF). This program is open to citizens and legal residents across all 54 African countries aged 18 and above. Agriculture is explicitly listed among the supported sectors, making it a natural fit for smallholder farmers looking to formalize their operations and for early-stage agribusiness entrepreneurs.
Beyond the seed capital, recipients gain access to structured business training and a pan-African alumni network.
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The Tony Elumelu Foundation Celebrating 16 years of empowering African entrepreneurs in all 54 African countries Young Africans empowered with We believe in African Entrepreneurship. So We built an infrastructure that supports entrepreneurial talents across the continent. The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) is the leading philanthropy catalysing youth entrepreneurship across Africa.
The Tony Elumelu Foundation, the foremost champion of entrepreneurship in Africa, is empowering a new generation of African entrepreneurs, driving poverty eradication, catalysing job creation across all 54 African countries, and ensuring inclusive economic empowerment.
The Foundation’s mission is rooted in Africapitalism, which positions the private sector, and most importantly, entrepreneurs, as the catalyst for the social and economic development of the African continent. TEF looks out for and selects entrepreneurs with the most innovative, high potential business ideas across all 54 African countries. TEF proprietary digital platform; TEFConnect has over 2.
5 million registered individuals from across the world to help entrepreneurs nurture their business. Since 2015 the TEF has funded more than 27,000 young Africans with non-returnable seed capital of $5,000 each Up to $135 million has been paid directly as seed capital to support and grow African start-ups. TEF was founded in 2010 by Tony O.
Elumelu, CFR with the mandate of empowering women and men across the African continent through entrepreneurship. TEF Entrepreneurship Programme comprises of a Business Management Training that equips African entrepreneurs with the technical and soft skills needed to run a successful business. TEF beneficiaries are spread across all 54 African Countries and African Regions (Central, East, Northern, Southern and Western Africa).
Through our direct activities and investments, as well as the support we give to entrepreneurs across sectors in Africa, we are directly and indirectly contributing to the 17 United Nations SDGs Since 2010, the Tony Elumelu Foundation has been dedicated to resolving Africa’s social and economic issues. Our beneficiaries are creating jobs and transforming their communities across the African continent through entrepreneurship.
We partnered with global development organisations to support our vision to drive impact across Africa. $4. 2 Billion in Revenue.
1. 5 Million Jobs.
Why The Tony Elumelu Foundation’s Bet on African Entrepreneurs Is Paying Off MEET RICHARD, BUILDING RWANDA’S ELECTRIC FUTURE The Tony Elumelu Foundation Announces 2026 Cohort of 3,200 African Entrepreneurs Too often great Ideas do not have the impact they deserve because they lack scale sustainability, that’s why the Tony Elumelu Foundation is so important, the seed capital they provide is a vital investment in getting new ideas off the ground.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Director General WHO There is extra ordinary energy and enthusiasm represented by the TEF Entrepreneurs, represented by the youth of Africa, I would love to see the same energy and dynamism in the govt of Africa to open up the system for this people. As I prepared for this event, I encountered a few of the very many stories of businesses, lives transformed by the TEF, and its various initiatives. ...
and even all of those thousands of inspirational TEEP stories are themselves a representation, just a fraction of what is out there across the continent. Yemi Osinbajo Vice President of Nigeria Quickly let me also thank the Foundation, Tony Elumelu and those who make it what it is. It speaks to the solutions we are trying to find for the many problem we have in our continent.
That is why we have come here to encourage you and maybe through that encourage other African leaders, business leaders and others to try and do things same way or do things together. More importantly, to make our continent move forward.
Paul Kagame President of Rwanda I am proud that Nigeria (and a Nigerian) is taking the lead in this effort to promote self-worth, encourage entrepreneurship, create jobs, build and promote networks for intra-African trade, business collaboration and investment. Our Administration is committed to unlocking all such opportunities to restore dignity to our people.
This programme is one example I hope others will emulate and I commend Tony Elumelu and his Foundation for their endeavor and leadership in this area. President Mohammadu Buhari President of Nigeria As U.S. Secretary of Commerce, I know how entrepreneurs drive economic growth around the world.
I am pleased to see Tony Elumelu investing in entrepreneurs through The Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme across Africa to work towards fostering communities of innovation. Penny Pritzker U.S. Secretary of Commerce TEF’s approach to entrepreneurship development is a genuinely innovative approach to philanthropy in Africa – an African offering African solutions.
What is unique about this programme is that it not only provides a platform for entrepreneurs to build connections, but they are also being taught how to build their businesses in a sustainable way. Other philanthropists will be inspired to support and promote this philosophy.
Ernest Bai Koroma Former President of Sierra Leone The Tony Elumelu foundation entrepreneurship programme will certainly foster entrepreneurial development across Africa, providing the much-needed funds, training and mentorship of commercial enterprises that promote social and economic change, support growing African businesses through dynamic programmes that provide capital and human resources to budding entrepreneurs. H.
E Aisha Buhari Wife of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria “I salute this programme because it is going touch on mindset change of our young people to look at Africa as their home as their continent and there for this programme is promoting Pan-Africanism.
” Ruhakana Rugunda Prime Minister of Uganda Let me use the opportunity to thank my dear brother Tony Elumelu, he’s done a fantastic job to put all this together, he has faith in confidence in the youth of Africa and that’s fantastic. Akinwunmi Adesina President AfDB Stay up to date on our entrepreneurs, events, research and more.
I agree to receive notifications, updates, publications, alerts and newsletters from the Tony Elumelu Foundation. Coalition For African Entrepreneurs TEF Entrepreneurship Programme TEF Audited Financial Statements Beneficiaries Success Stories Other Ways to Get Involved We've detected you might be speaking a different language.
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Key questions and narrative sections extracted from the solicitation.
Business idea/experience information
Business assessment test
Business plan and financial projections (Investment Readiness Phase)
2-3 minute pitch video
Scoring criteria used to review proposals for this grant.
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Citizens and legal residents across all 54 African countries aged 18 and above, with agribusiness and entrepreneurship ventures. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows up to US$5,000 (non-refundable) + Mentoring. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
The published deadline was March 1, 2026, which has passed. Check the official notice for any future application windows before investing time in a proposal.
Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) Entrepreneurship Programme is funded by Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF). Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
This listing is flagged as international in scope. Check the official notice for country-specific restrictions before applying.
Applications go through the funder's official portal — the Apply Now link on this page goes there directly.
The solicitation lists 6 required documents: Valid government-issued ID, Business registration certificate, Evidence of tax registration, Reference letter from business bank, Partner consent form (if co-owned), and Medical report (for participants with disabilities). Check the official notice for formatting and page-limit rules.
Past winners and funding trends for this program