Applications open for the 2020 Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme |09 January 2020

Ms Daman speaking to our journalist (Photo: Thomas Meriton)

Seychellois entrepreneurs urged to apply

Applications have opened for the sixth Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) Entrepeneurship Programme and aspiring entrepreneurs all over Africa have been called to apply.

In particular, Noussira Daman, the TEF entrepreneurship programme ambassador in Seychelles, has appealed to all entrepreneurs in Seychelles aged 18 and above to also send out their applications to “make their entrepreneurship dreams a reality”.

Applications should be made through TEFConnect, the digital networking hub for the African entrepreneurship ecosystem, created by the Foundation.

Deadline for application submissions has been set for March 1, 2020 at 12am (GMT+1).

The TEF Entrepreneurship Programme is open to startup entrepreneurs, with innovative business ideas or businesses that have been in existence for less than 3 years, in any sector, in all 54 African countries.

Once applicants are successful, they will receive business training, mentoring, and a non-refundable US $5000 of seed capital along with global networking opportunities.

Tony Elemelu is a Nigerian economist, entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the Africa-based and African-funded philanthropic foundation with the aim of empowering other African entrepreneurs.

Since its inception, the TEF programme has become an extremely competitive one, due to the fact that they only have space for 1000 candidates.

According to Ms Daman, TEF has to choose the most exceptional entrepreneurs among the bunch, those with business ideas that could change their countries.

For the applications process last year, the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme received a total of 216,025 applications, out of which it selected 1000 entrepreneurs.

Another 2050 applicants were chosen by various other non-profit organisations that collaborate with TEF.

“This goes to show that the opportunities are here, even if you do not get selected by the Tony Elumelu Foundation; you just have to apply,” Ms Daman urged.

Last year, two Seychellois, Mariette Dine and Maryame Monia Florentine, were chosen to join the fifth edition of the programme.

“The most prevalent age for this programme is from 18 to 25 but this does not mean that you cannot apply even if you are 40 or 50,” Ms Daman noted.

Being a TEF alumna herself, Ms Daman explained that it is an intensive six-week programme which requires full commitment from the candidates.

Selected entrepreneurs will have to follow online training but will be accompanied by mentors throughout their journey, and even after.

At the end of the programme, the entrepreneurs should be able to effectively write up their business and marketing plans.

“It forces you to think outside of the norms, outside of the box that society wants to squeeze everybody in. The Tony Elumelu Programme destroys this box and forces you to think for yourself,” Ms Daman said.

“Entrepreneurs who come out of the programme are changed forever because it allows them to think in another way, which is different from what they learned in the normal school system,” she added.

Ms Daman has advised prospective Seychellois applicants to make sure that they are applying with a business venture that they are “hungry for” and to ensure that they are satisfied with everything they have written on the form before pressing send.

Elsie Pointe