Cintia A. , Lebledparle.com
On Saturday, 22nd March 2025, the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) unveiled the 11th cohort of its Entrepreneurship Programme in a ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria. This year, 3,000 young African entrepreneurs were selected to be granted $5,000 (about 3 million FCFA) each in seed capital, training, and mentoring to develop their businesses. Out of the 3,000, 56 Cameroonians were listed, giving them an invaluable opportunity to grow their entrepreneurial ventures and bolster economic advancement in the country.
Cameroon has been one of the most featured country in the program. A total of 689 Cameroonian entrepreneurs have already received more than 1.6 billion FCFA in capital, which helped them to initiate and develop businesses in various fields.
The program has been and continues to be of great relevance as it has aided in the employment creation and economic development in the continent. By providing essential resources and skills for young entrepreneurs, the Tony Elumelu Foundation is contributing to the reduction of unemployment levels and development of sustainable businesses in Africa. Since it’s inception in 2015, the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme has helped over 24,000 entrepreneurs in Africa to be catered for. A program that aims to encourage innovation, resilience, and boldness among young entrepreneurs by providing them with financial support, business training, and access to mentorship
Thanks to this platform, previous Cameroonian beneficiaries have successfully launched businesses in key industries such as agriculture, technology, healthcare, and renewable energy. Some of benefactors include Agbor Ashumanyi Ako the co-founder of GiftedMom, a digital health platform for women in Africa and Jacqueline Bakari the CEO of Jbbling Business Portfolio which developed a learning program for entrepreneurs in Cameroon and neighboring countries.
