by Jane Osamor
Key Highlights
- Billionaire Tony Elumelu celebrated his philanthropy on his 60th birthday on March 22nd.
- A symposium titled 60 for 60 in his honour brought 60 young entrepreneurs that have benefited from Tony Elumelu’s philanthropy.
- Let’s bring you all the details.
It’s another year to celebrate the ‘king of style’ Tony Elumelu at 60. Elumelu has channelled his wealth towards making a lot of impact in the lives of African youths and entrepreneurs.
To mark his 60th birthday celebration, a symposium was held to celebrate his achievements, especially on entrepreneurship. The symposium gathered 60 entrepreneurs that have benefited from Tony Elumelu’s philanthropy. The entrepreneurs appreciated Elumelu and the members of the Tony Elumelu Foundation for believing and trusting in them.
Note that these entrepreneurs came from different countries in Africa, like Togo, Benin Republic, Nigeria, South Africa etc. They expressed their appreciation to Elumelu and members of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF).
It is no news that Elumelu spends millions of dollars to help African youths and entrepreneurs in diverse ways. Over the years through his foundation, Tony Elumelu has empowered about 10,000 African entrepreneurs.
The symposium: 60 for 60
This was to honour Tony Elumelu on his 60th birthday in celebration of the exemplary work he is doing across Africa. The event started with an appreciation for the philanthropist in recognition of the many good works he has done and continues to do.
The African entrepreneurs who have benefited from his philanthropy also shared their experiences passing through the TEF programme.
In attendance were Tony and AweleElumelu, 24 UBA bank managers from different African countries and other dignitaries.
African entrepreneurs share success stories, all made possible by TEF
Here are a few of the success stories from the symposium in honour of Tony Elumelu on his 60th birthday.
Monica from Zambia said: “With the help of TEF, my business has employed over 21 young women who are breadwinners, and we have gained confidence with new investors and have signed new contracts.”
- Glory from Congo said: “I received seed money of $5000 in 2018 from Tony Elumelu Foundation, with this I was able to get space and also a professional sewing machine, which has helped me become more successful and resilient.”
- Temitayo from Nigeria said: “The Tony Elumelu foundation helped me to streamline and find my purpose, and also include sustainability practices in my business. My business has been able to train over 2000 women in underserved communities, we taught them some of the skills used in producing our accessories. Thanks to the funding we received we have extended our service reach to other countries.”
- Andrew Etuket from Uganda said: “Before TEF I had two workers in my company and we were making $2000 per annum. After being selected for the programme, I have now been able to get the company premises fully operational with all the requisite equipment and have 3 added staff on the payroll. Also, I make $10000 per annum now.”
Closing Remark
The closing remark was made by Dr AweleElumelu, who appreciated everyone for showing up and she especially thanked Tony Elumelu for his passion for African entrepreneurs
