‘The Clarion Call for Africapitalism’ – TEF 2021 Application Opens

Minister of Youth Affairs Mohamed Bangura Making his presentation

UBA Sierra Leone in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Affairs, the Sierra Leone  Youth Commission and the Sierra Leone National Youth Service Corps, on the 22nd of January 2021 officially made an open call inviting every young Sierra Leonean to present a bankable idea to this years’ Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship (TEF)  Programme.

TEF, with investment capital of  $100m seeks to empower 10,000 African Entrepreneurs, it is however very unfortunate to note that in recent years, Sierra Leone has had less than 25 entrepreneurs who have benefited from this life changing amazing opportunity. Therefore, the need to create more awareness became apparent.

The Call was held at The New Brookfields Hotel in the presence of notable press men and women, to further disseminate the call opportunity to ensure that every Sierra Leonean entrepreneur or youth with an initiative is aware of this opportunity and apply to win a non-refundable seed capital worth $5,000, to start up or to scale up their businesses. In addition, access to mentorship programs, money and maket and the the largest Entrepreneurship Hub in Africa, the TefConnect.

The goal is to create generational wealth in Africa, in so doing provide solutions to community problems and to further build the African continent.

TEF in it’s 7th year seeks to empower 3,000 Entrepreneurs this year. Sierra Leone TEF Alumi of the previous years were in attendance to share in their life transforming journey and to give insights to the amazing success they have been empowered to achieve since becoming a TEF Alumni.

Mohamed Kamara Beneficiary presenting his idea

One notable Alumnus is Mohammed Kamara, an innovator and founder of ‘Light Salone’. He shared his work and vision to empower and light up 100 rural communities in Sierra Leone, using empty rubber bottles and cans,  and water,  to produce electricity. Empowering women and girls, by training them to produce local wind mills and bulbs to power and light up their rural communities.

He also challenged giant Satellite cables such as DSTV and other satellite channels by producing his own locally sourced antenna,called Lily Antenna,  helping rural communities connect to the 7 TV free too air channels in Sierra Leone for a minimum fee. This caught the attention of all in attendance especially the MD/CEO UBA Sierra Leone Usman Isiaka who assured the TEF Alumni of UBA Sierra Leone’s unequivocal support for their growing businesses.

The Hon. Minister of Youth Affairs, Hon. Mohammed Bangura declared to Sierra Leonean youths mentioning  that TEF opportunity is one step to many that the ministry will take in ensuring that the Government creates an enabling environment for young Sierra Leonean to flourish. He went on to reveal that the Youth Ministry has developed an app called ‘ The National Youth App’ available on Google and Apple Store for download, “here on this platform, all key information and materials needed by young people have been made available”, he said.

He ended by commending Tony Elumelu for taking the frontier to empower the African continent, thanking UBA Sierra Leone, he said the Ministry of Youth Affairs will work hand-in-hand to ensure that Sierra Leone records a higher number of entries for this years Call.

The Tony Elumelu  Foundation continues to set the pace in empowering African Entrepreneurs, preaching the philosophy of Africapitalism and will stop at nothing banking on it’s young, vibrant, energetic and  innovative minds until Africa is great again.