Founder Tony Elumelu Foundation and Chairman UBA Group, and Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu, at the weekend received an Honorary Doctor of Business (Hon D.B) degree from the Bayero University, Kano.
Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Muhammad Yahuza Bello, said the conferment was in recognition of Elumelu’s immense contribution to human capital development across Africa, especially in Northern Nigeria, through his Tony Elumelu Foundation.
The foundation has since its establishment in 2010, has become Africa’s leading philanthropy empowering entrepreneurship, with 7520 entrepreneurs across the continent, almost 1000 of whom are from Northern Nigeria.
Accepting the award, Elumelu called for collaboration between the public and private sector in the task of creating more jobs on the continent, because “our young people need jobs that governments and big corporates alone cannot provide. By promoting entrepreneurship, creating favourable policies and building infrastructure to help these entrepreneurs, we enable them to create jobs, and become employers of labour”.
He commended the desire by President Muhammadu Buhari last week to lift 100m Nigerians out of poverty, assuring that job creation and entrepreneurship will help to achieve this goal.
According to him, “there are a variety of ways to lift 100 million citizens from poverty, but two stand out. We can increase the number of jobs in the economy or we can create more opportunities for our young entrepreneurs to transform their ideas into small businesses that employ labour.
“By promoting entrepreneurship, creating favourable policies and building infrastructure to help these entrepreneurs, we enable them to create jobs, and become employers of labour”.
Elumelu also highlighted the importance of gender inclusion and a focus on quality healthcare and education to develop the over 60% of Africa’s population – the youth. “For Africa to avert a demographic catastrophe, and achieve sustainable growth, we must support gender inclusion, education, healthcare and entrepreneurship,” he said. “National prosperity can only come from widespread economic empowerment. This empowerment will come from inclusion, education, healthcare, and entrepreneurship.”
In 2010, Elumelu and his family committed $100million to identify, train, mentor and fund 10,000 African entrepreneurs in 10 years Half-way through the commitment, he has empowered 7,520 African entrepreneurs across 54 African countries who have received $5,000 non-refundable seed capital, access to mentors and an intensive 12-week business training; a commitment which the President in his address said enviably complements some of the government-led initiatives aimed at enhancing the capital base of small businesses.
Other awardees were Senator Bello Hayatu-Gwarzo, LLD, Dr Folake Solanke, the first female Senior Advocate of Nigeria, LLD and Prof. Abdulkadir Dangambo. Guests at the ceremony included HRH Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the Emir of Kano; H.E. General Yakubu Gowon, Former Head of State; Chief Alfred Papapreye Diete-Spiff, Chancellor Bayero University Kano; H.E. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje OFR, Governor of Kano State; and visiting Vice Chancellors from over 25 Nigerian universities.
Photo caption: From left to right: Founder, The Tony Elumelu Foundation and Group Chairman, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Tony Elumelu; Emir of Kano, Mallam Muhammadu Sanusi; and Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abdulahi Ganduje, during the conferment of honorary Doctor of Business Degree by the Bayero University, Kano on Elumelu in recognition of his foremost contribution to the Africa’s economic development through the promotion of entrepreneurship and philanthropy, in Kano on Saturday.
