Tony Elumelu
Tony Elumelu is a ‘Titan’ in his chosen field of work giving hope to many young African entrepreneurs through his Tony Elumelu Foundation. He began lighting dead dreams in his home country Nigeria in the late 90s when he helped resurrect a struggling commercial bank, now UBA, which he chairs.
Aliko Dangote, president of Dangote Industries Limited and the richest man on the continent, calls Elumelu “a leading proponent of “Africapitalism,” a belief that Africa’s private sector can and must play a leading role in the continent’s development through long-term investments, as well as entrepreneurship and regional connectivity.
“After deepening the financial market in Africa, he has found an equally important niche: giving a voice of hope to millions of youths across Africa. Tony has harnessed Africa’s youth bulge to catalyze development and protect the future, committing to investing $5,000 each in 1,000 young entrepreneurs per year across 54 countries in Africa. Having come so far, Tony still forges on, striking a fine balance between personal satisfaction and societal impact.”