Agribusiness entrepreneurs from Kenya dominated this year’s list of the annual Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) Entrepreneurship Programme which saw at least 58 Kenyans selected to the top 1000 list in the continent
Out of the 58 shortlisted, 14 of them are in the agribusiness category, an indication of just how young people in Kenya are embracing agriculture-a sector that accounts for the country’s 30 per cent Gross Domestic Product.
The trend was similar across shortlisted entrepreneurs across the continent with 1 out of every three shortlisted candidates interested in agribusiness
Over 93,000 entrepreneurs from 55 counties in the continent applied for the programme – more than twice the 2016 applications and nearly four times the previous year.
Over the next nine months, the entrepreneurs will be trained and mentored to develop a business plan and will then be eligible to receive up to $10,000 (Sh1 million) in seed capital.
The successful entrepreneurs will benefit from the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme’s 7 Pillars – a toolkit of support including business training, mentoring, and access to networks and funding of up to $10,000 – as they develop their business concepts to contribute to the transformation of the continent.
The Foundation’s long-term investment in empowering African entrepreneurs is emblematic of Mr. Elumelu’s philosophy of Africapitalism, which positions Africa’s private sector – and most importantly entrepreneurs – as catalysts for the economic renaissance of the continent.
Standing here to announce the successful applicants is bittersweet; we have 92,000 budding business leaders who weren’t selected for our programme and these young African men and women have demonstrated a lot of energy, innovation and creativity in their applications,” said TEF founder Tony Olumelu.
The programme is the flagship entrepreneurship of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, founded by the entrepreneur, respected investor and philanthropist Tony O. Elumelu to drive African economic growth through the fostering of African entrepreneurship to drive African economic growth through the fostering of African entrepreneurship
Here are shortlisted candidates: http://tonyelumelufoundation.org/programme/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/TEF2017_1000_NAMES-1.pdf
