By Yakubu LAAH InvestAdvocate
Lagos (INVESTADVOCATE)-Tony Elumelu, renowned African Entrepreneur and philanthropist on Monday meet President Barack Obama to propose a new entrepreneur-led development model for Africa in Washington DC.
Elumelu, Chairman of Africa’s global bank, United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA), and Founder, the Tony Elumelu Foundation, at a White House event hosted by United States President Obama championed the cause of African entrepreneurs as the primary drivers of Africa’s transformation.
Elumelu one of Africa’s richest persons in 2014 by Forbes in closing advised global entrepreneurs saying entrepreneurship is a long term journey. “Great entrepreneurs are not made overnight. Dare to dream, implement your dream, and stay focused,” he said.
“Elumelu’s foundation recently launched the $100 million Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme, which aims to assist in growing 10,000 start-up companies across the African continent over the next 10 years -? demonstrating a commitment to empowering entrepreneurs to drive Africa’s social and economic transformation,” a statement from Heirs Holdings said.
On his part, President Obama thanked the global coalition of entrepreneurship organisations that collaborated with his administration to launch the Spark campaign for global entrepreneurship, a campaign in which the Tony Elumelu Foundation is a founding member. “Entrepreneurship empowers people to no longer be subject to aid agencies, but to be part of something to pursue their dreams. Entrepreneurs like you can change the world one idea at a time,” he added.
Other speakers that joined President Obama and Elumelu to promote African entrepreneurship at the White House event included Mark Cuban, Owner of the Dallas Mavericks; Barbara Corcoran; Founder of Barbara Corcoran Venture Partners; Daymond John, CEO and founder of FUBU — all investors on the hit ABC show Shark Tank; Antonio Gracias, Founder of Valor Equity Partners; and Julie Hanna, Founder of Kiva.
Those who accompanied Elumelu to the White House were Shadi Sabeh, a young Nigerian entrepreneur from Sokoto State who is a mentee of Elumelu and a past winner of the Tony and Awele Elumelu Prize for Economics from Usman Dan Fodiyo University.
In the same vein, Elumelu delivered a lecture at Georgetown University in Washington DC on May 12 on the topic ‘Entrepreneur-Led Development: A New Model for Africa’. The lecture was attended by a large audience including students, faculty, and alumni of Georgetown, as well as members of the US and African private sector, diplomatic core, and international development sector.
“I was honoured to speak at these high profile events in the US,” Tony Elumelu said. “As a successful entrepreneur, I will continue to communicate to the world the need for supporting and empowering African entrepreneurs as the most impactful and sustainable approach to Africa’s development. My mission is to share this message on a global scale, and inspire more African business leaders and global investors with an interest in Africa to take action.”
