The 1,000 African entrepreneurs selected to take part in the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP) will today meet in the Nigerian town of Ota for a two-day bootcamp.
The Tony Elumelu Foundation is behind TEEP, which was launched in December with a target of creating one million new jobs and US$10 billion in additional revenues in the process.
Disrupt Africa reported in March TEEP announced the first 1,000 African entrepreneurs selected to take part in the US$100 million initiative, which aims to discover and support 10,000 African entrepreneurs over the next ten years.
Over 20,000 applications were received for the programme from 52 countries, with the foundation saying the 1,000 selected for the 2015 class are a “remarkable group of entrepreneurs who are a testament to the ability of Africa’s own entrepreneurs to drive Africa’s growth and development”.
Today, the selected 1,000 begin a two-day bootcamp in Ota, which will feature plenary sessions from successful entrepreneurs, an open mic session with Tony Elumelu himself and networking amongst the selected entrepreneurs. They have already undergone a 12-week online training programme.
“Though I have never met or spoken to any of the winners, I am confident that due to the rigorous criteria and selection process, these entrepreneurs are Africa’s hope for the future. I will continue to invest my experience, time, influence, and resources to see them succeed. I am embarking on this journey with these entrepreneurs hopeful and inspired,” said Elumelu.
The top five countries in terms of numbers of entrepreneurs were Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and Ghana, while all African regions and all major language blocs are represented.
