The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), the leading philanthropy empowering African entrepreneurs, will on Friday, March 22, unveil 1,200 African entrepreneurs from across 54 African countries who will benefit from the 10th cohort of its flagship Entrepreneurship Programme.

The TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, now in its 10-year-long, the foundation said in a statement on Thursday morning, has consistently demonstrated its belief in the potential of young Africans to transform the African continent.

This conviction, it noted, has led to its transformative impact – thousands of young men and women entrepreneurs across all 54 African countries have been empowered through its flagship Entrepreneurship Programme. The beneficiaries have received world-class business training, mentorship, coaching, and funding, in addition to lifelong access to the prestigious TEF Alumni Network.

To date, the Foundation has disbursed US$100,000,000 directly into the hands of young African entrepreneurs, who have, in turn, created over 400,000 direct and indirect jobs, contributing significantly to Africa’s economic growth and development.

The Foundation also said it has also provided capacity building support, advisory services, and market linkages to over 1.5 million Africans through its digital entrepreneurship-support platform, TEFConnect.

The upcoming announcement, it stressed. reaffirms the Tony Elumelu Foundation’s commitment to supporting entrepreneurship as a catalyst for driving poverty eradication, catalysing job creation across all 54 African countries, and increasing women economic empowerment.