France President Emmanuel Macron will have an interactive session with more than 2,000 budding entrepreneurs from Africa on Wednesday in Lagos.
A statement Tuesday from the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), which is hosting the session said the entrepreneurs are alumni of the foundation’s Entrepreneurship Programme.
See the statement below:
The President of the French Republic, H.E. Emmanuel Macron, who is in Nigeria on a working visit, will on Wednesday, be interacting with more than 2,000 budding entrepreneurs from Africa. These entrepreneurs are alumni of the Tony Elumelu Foundation(TEF) Entrepreneurship Programme.
The session, which is the highlight of Macron’s visit to the country, will be chaired by the UBA Chairman, and Founder TEF, Mr. Tony Elumelu, and will give African entrepreneurs a platform to closely engage with President Macron, and garner ideas from his wealth of experience as one of the youngest Heads of State in recent times.
The historic session will also provide a platform where participants can network and forge partnerships with French and African business leaders and policymakers who will be in attendance.
Speaking ahead of the event, Elumelu said the collaboration between the French President and TEF is a result of President Macron’s acknowledgement that African entrepreneurs remain the key to Africa’s economic transformation, and his desire to connect with and elevate the voices of future leaders.
In Elumelu’s words; “We welcome President Macron of France to meet our entrepreneurs, over 2,000 of them from across Africa. Macron is a new kind of leader. He brings the discipline of the private sector and understands the social obligations of the state. He speaks to Africa as a strategic partner and most importantly, he is a champion of entrepreneurship.
“It is a pleasure to introduce him to our Africa; the Africa of innovation, determination and opportunity. We share a somewhat similar background with the French President being a banker, who became a visionary, and is bringing a new mindset to politics and business,” Elumelu said.
The event will grant the French President the opportunity to interact, one on one, with Africa’s young entrepreneurs and explore partnership possibilities.
“I, alongside, President Macron, will engage with these entrepreneurs in an interactive session, where we will discuss challenges of business in the private sector and solutions to create more benefits for the success of entrepreneurship. It promises to be an inspirational session,” Elumelu added.
The TEF Founder’s $100 million commitment to identify, train, mentor and fund 10,000 entrepreneurs from across Africa has touched the lives of over 4000 African entrepreneurs thus far.
Whilst in Nigeria, President Macron is expected to meet with the Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and will also attend a business Forum with French business leaders as well as engage with Nigerian private sector leaders.
Established in 2010, The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) is the leading philanthropy in Africa championing entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs across the continent. The Foundation’s long-term investment in empowering African entrepreneurs is emblematic of Tony Elumelu’s philosophy of Africapitalism, which positions Africa’s private sector, and most importantly entrepreneurs, as the catalyst for the social and economic development of the continent. The Foundation’s flagship initiative, the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, is a 10-year, $100 million commitment to identify, train mentor and fund 10,000 entrepreneurs, capable of changing the face of business across Africa. http://www.tonyelumelufoundation.org