Youths are known for strength, creativity, and curiosity, especially in the areas of information and entrepreneurship. This is why any serious country that has a sense of direction must invest massively in its youths. In the case where a country fails to do this, or it is not doing enough, influential personalities usually rise up to the occasion. In Nigeria and Africa at large, Tony Elumelu, the chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Heirs Holdings has been this doing since 2010, through his foundation, the Tony Elumelu Foundation.
The Foundation has been supporting youths in Africa by providing them with funds to enable them achieve their dreams, as it believes that with the right support, entrepreneurs can be empowered to contribute meaningfully to the prosperity and the social development of the continent.
UNPD Partnership: This year, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is partnering with the Foundation to provide entrepreneurship support for youths in the Sahel region of Africa. Its mission is to support additional 100,000 entrepreneurs from the region, which includes Northern Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroun, Mauritania, Mali, and Burkina Faso.
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Reason for this: Since most people from these parts of the world are perceived as disadvantaged and deprived, the goal is to provide extra support to young people from there.
Benefits of the partnership: According to reports, about 10million jobs will be created from this partnership and about $10billion will be contributed to the African economy.
Background story: Nairametrics earlier reported what inspired the founder, Tony Elumelu to establish the foundation. According to him, being born an African and witnessing the poverty that resonates with many African people pushed him to help individuals attain a poverty-free life.
In an interview, Mr. Elumelu noted that the Foundation since its establishment in 2010, has participated in supporting more than 7000 entrepreneurs in Africa during the last 5 years and aims to support more entrepreneurs in Africa soon. In 2012, Elumelu was recognized as one of “Africa’s 20 Most Powerful People” by Forbes magazine.
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