This archive report was first published on 23 October 2019.
October 17, 2019, marked a significant day for young entrepreneurs in Cape Verde as Tony Elumelu, a renowned African investor and philanthropist, shared his wealth of experience with them at the Youth Konnekt Forum.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Elumelu, who is the founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) and chairman of the United Bank for Africa (UBA), emphasized the importance of entrepreneurship in creating change and empowering young people to achieve their goals.
“Entrepreneurship is a long-term journey,” he said. “There is no quick fix. You will make mistakes. You will have challenges. For you to succeed along this journey, you must be disciplined, make sacrifices and save today to achieve your goals.”
Mr. Elumelu's key to success is summarized in three things: hard work, discipline, and sacrifice. He emphasized the crucial role of government in creating an enabling environment for small and medium-scale enterprises to thrive, commending the Government of Cape Verde for its strong reforms to boost entrepreneurship in Lusophone Africa.
The President of Cape Verde, H.E. Jorge Carlos de Almeida Fonseca OICVV, expressed gratitude to Tony Elumelu for pioneering the entrepreneurship movement across Africa, while the Prime Minister, H.E. José Ulisses de Pina Ceorreia e Silva, commended Tony Elumelu and his Foundation's commitment to empowering African entrepreneurs.
The Tony Elumelu Foundation has empowered 7,531 entrepreneurs across all 54 African countries, with plans to open its application portal for the 6th cohort of its Entrepreneurship Programme on January 1, 2020.
Organised by the National Youth Ministry and the Government of Cape Verde, Youth Konnekt is one of the many plans the country has rolled out to boost entrepreneurship across the region.
