TONY ELUMELU FOUNDATION GAIN FRANCOPHONE SUPPORT FOR TEEP 2016 AT CLUB EFFICIENCE GALA, PARIS
LAGOS, NIGERIA – 22 December 2015 – The Tony Elumelu Foundation, as part of its outreach for the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP,) addressed an esteemed audience of French business leaders at the Club Efficience Gala on Saturday 19 December. Founder Tony O. Elumelu was awarded with the Prize for Excellence and represented by the Foundation’s CEO, Parminder Vir OBE.
The Paris event followed after Mr Elumelu’s recent participation at MEDEF and Sciences Po in November this year to discuss partnerships and investment opportunities in Africa.
Addressing the audience at the Club Efficience Gala held at the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand Hotel, Parminder Vir expressed:
“As we prepare for the TEEP application portal opening in January 1st 2016, we have a primary focus- greater inclusivity. We want to see more women entrepreneurs submit their applications in 2016. We want applications from every African country! And we need your help to ensure we get more Francophone African entrepreneurs applying!”
The 2015 cycle of TEEP saw 124 promising entrepreneurs from 24 Francophone African countries accepted into the programme, which selects 1,000 entrepreneurs every year across Africa for business training, active mentoring, networking and seed capital funding for their start-up business ideas.
In 2016, TEEP seeks an increase in the number of Francophone entrepreneurs by calling for more applications from French speaking African regions.
Mesumbe Alan Ebong, a Tony Elumelu Entrepreneur from Cameroon, and CEO of Exim Credit Bank PLC says of his experience of the programme:
“With what we have gathered and the network established through TEEP 2015 we are building partnerships and networks which will help us in our financial institution in the near future. It is an entrepreneurial experience you will never forget in your life time, so try to sharpen your materials and apply for the programme come 2016”.
Dr Elie Nkamgueu, President of Club Efficience, a business group comprised African disaporans in Paris has pledged support for the programme, describing it as, “The most comprehensive entrepreneurship programme I have come across and surely a value-add to any emerging entrepreneur in Francophone Africa and beyond.”
TEEP 2016 will open for entries on 1 January 2016 and will accept applications until midnight WAT on 1 March 2016. To apply, interested entrepreneurs must complete the online application form on the web portal: http://tefconnect.com/signup
Selected entrepreneurs will join the cohort of 1,000 Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurs from the inaugural cycle of the programme, which has presence in 51 African countries who have gone on to refine and implement their business plans after training, mentoring and have received financial support offered by TEEP.
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To stay informed about The Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme, including the 2015 selection of African Entrepreneurs, visit TonyElumelufoundation.org/TEEP or follow @TonyElumeluFDN on Twitter and join the conversation at #TEEP2016.
For media enquiries, contact: media@tonyelumelufoundation.org
ABOUT TEEP
TEEP, the flagship programme of The Tony Elumelu Foundation, is a N20 billion initiative (which by today’s exchange rate is $100 million) to support emerging entrepreneurs across Africa over 10 years, aiming to generate a projected $10 billion in revenues for the continent and one new million jobs for its citizens. The 2015 round drew over 20,000 applicants from 51 countries and created partnerships with entrepreneurs, the private sector and governments across Africa and internationally. Read more about TEEP here.
