Entrepreneur, philanthropist and chairman of United Bank for Africa Plc, Tony Elumelu, on Tuesday began a five-day working visit to East Africa, where he will meet with Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta and Yoweri Museveni of Kenya and Uganda respectively.
Elumelu, according to a statement by the group, who was in Uganda on April 10, will visit Kenya, April 12, to discuss issues around the growth and development of both economies.
The talks will also centre on enabling entrepreneurship, infrastructure financing, regional economic growth and how the private sector in Africa can work in shared purpose alongside African governments to create prosperity for all Africans.
On the side lines of these engagements, his Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) will gather members of the full local ecosystem – from investors to academia to established and emerging entrepreneurs alike – for an entrepreneurship ecosystem event.
“During the event, TEF alumni and members of the vibrant Kenyan and Ugandan entrepreneurship communities will receive insights from guest speakers who will provide practical, practicable information to help the audience develop their businesses and their business management skills.
Guest speakers include leaders from TEF partner Microsoft and other ecosystem players such as Google.
During the visit, Elumelu will also meet with key stakeholders and policy makers in the countries to discuss infrastructural funding opportunities, as well as interact with leading private and public sectors players.
He will host a Founder’s Forum with students of Makerere University, Kampala and University of Nairobi, two leading African institutions. At this Forum he will give young Africans insight into his own life, share tips and values for success while encouraging entrepreneurship and development.
A proponent of the economic philosophy of Africapitalism, Elumelu has toured various countries in Africa and beyond, encouraging entrepreneurship and advising governments on why it is essential for private sector partnership to grow their economies.
Through the Tony Elumelu Foundation, the UBA Chairman has supported over 3,000 entrepreneurs and counting, helping to build their dreams and businesses to a point where they will in turn employ other Africans to help build the continent.
In March, the Foundation announced the 2018 cohort of its 10-year, $100 million TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, which saw the selection of over 1,000 African entrepreneurs with the most innovative, high-potential business ideas and an additional 250 entrepreneurs thanks to partnerships with the International Red Cross (ICRC) and the United Nations’ Development Programme (UNDP).
Elumelu is the Founder and Chairman of Heirs Holdings Ltd, a family owned investment company committed to improving lives and transforming Africa. With portfolio spanning the power, oil and gas, financial services, hospitality, real estate and healthcare sectors, operating in twenty-three countries worldwide.