Tony O. Elumelu, CFR
Tony O. Elumelu is an African investor and philanthropist, and one of the world’s most prominent voices on Africa’s transformation agenda.
He is the Founder and Chairman of Heirs Holdings, his family owned investment company , which invests in strategic sectors of the African economy, including financial services, hospitality, power, energy, technology, and healthcare, as part of its commitment to improving lives and transforming Africa.
Tony is also the Chairman of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Group which operates in 20 countries across Africa, as well as the United Kingdom, France, the UAE, and the United States.
He chairs Nigeria’s largest quoted conglomerate, Transcorp Group, whose subsidiaries include Transcorp Power, a leading producer of electricity in West Africa, and Transcorp Hotels Plc, Nigeria’s foremost hospitality brand. Together with Heirs Energies, one of the continent’s largest natural resources producers, Transcorp Power is executing Africa’s foremost integrated energy business, dedicated to ensuring African resources drive and power value creation on the African continent
In 2010, he created The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), the leading philanthropy empowering a new generation of African entrepreneurs across all 54 African countries. Since inception, the Foundation’s flagship programme has identified and funded over 24,000 young African entrepreneurs and created a digital ecosystem of over 2.5 million Africans, as part of a ten-year US$100m commitment to fund, mentor, and train young Africans.
In 2020, TIME magazine named Tony as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World and in 2022 TIME again recognised him with its inaugural TIME100 Impact list, honouring him alongside five other global leaders who have gone above and beyond to move their industries – and the world – forward.
The Federal Government of Nigeria honoured Tony with the title, Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic, in 2022 for his contribution to Nigeria’s economic and social development. He has also been recognised with Belgium’s oldest and highest royal order.
Tony sits on a number of global boards, including the Global Leadership Council of United Nations Generation Unlimited and the IMF’s Advisory Council on Entrepreneurship and Growth, where his experience will ensure that Africa’s entrepreneurial potential is central to global economic policymaking.
