State House, Banjul, 4^thOctober 2018

The African Union Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat has commended President Adama Barrow  for significantly consolidating the values of democracy, good governance, and peace and security in The Gambia. He said President Barrow is setting the country on the right path despite inheriting a difficult situation, stressing that he has succeeded in opening up the country’s democratic space.

‘’You have inherited a difficult situation but you have set the country on the right path and the right direction. We happy to learn that you are reforming the security sector.’’, he stated

His Excellency, Faki Mahamat made the comments when President Barrow received him in audience at the State House in Banjul.

Based on the foregoing, AU Chairperson said it is incumbent upon the Union to support and consolidate the gains in governance so far made by the Barrow government. He added that it is the duty of the African Union to meet the President and discuss important national issues with him in order to remedy the bottlenecks. He recollected that the same reason motivated them to send an African Mission Team in 2017 to support the country on its security sector reforms.

In welcoming the chairperson, His Excellency, President Adama Barrow expressed great delight and honour hosting him in the country, recollecting that their first meeting took place when he was only six months into his presidency. The president described the meeting as a great success and a personal motivation for him as a head of state. President Barrow emphasised the importance of peace and security in the development and progress of Africa, saying that he has a lot of confidence in the office of the AU Chairperson in attaining peace and security on the continent. He added that African integration can only be realised if peace, security, and stability prevail.

The president expressed satisfaction that the new wave of democracy in the country is widely embraced, which is why his government now focuses on governance and institutional reforms to ensure respect for the rule of law, independence of the judiciary, and the protection of fundamental human rights.

President Barrow also informed the Chairperson that his government has embarked on sectoral reforms, while urging AU, ECOWAS and other development partners to support his transitional programmes to attain reforms in key areas, such as, agriculture, security, the civil service, and health sector.  He said the security sector reforms include downsizing the security and to further build the capacity of security officials to be responsive to the need of the people.

He thanked AU for sending in experts to support the reform process, assuring him that the outcome would lay a strong foundation for a level playing ground for elections in 2021.

Speaking earlier, Foreign Affairs Minister, Honourable Mamadou Tangara expressed gratitude to the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson for being the first sitting chairperson to visit The Gambia.

Minister Tangara disclosed that the Chairperson has committed to advocating for the country’s development priorities. He commended the Chairperson and the Commission for his efforts to establish peace and stability on the continent, citing the recent peace-deal brokered in East Africa and the breakthrough in Darfur.

By Omar Jarju

The confederation of African football (CAF) has appointed Andy Quamie to coordinate the scorpion’s second leg of the double-header in Banjul against Togo on October 16^th 2018.

This move came on the heels of the recent overcrowding of the Gambia vs Algeria first leg AFCON 2019 qualifier at the Independence Stadium. The game was delayed over an hour amid worries over players’ safety after supporters forced their way in beyond the stadium’s capacity.

Meanwhile, Andy Quamie was elected at the just-ended 40^th CAF Ordinary General Assembly in Casablanca, Morocco. He is serving on the appeal board for four years, from February 2018 to February 2022.

In 2012, he was appointed as match commissioner for CAF. Since his appointment, he has commissioned several FIFA and CAF matches. He was recently appointed as deputy minister of the Ministry of Youth and Sports by President George Manneh Weah.

Does the Barrow Administration echoes the attitude of Musolini: “The crowd doesn’t have to know, all they have to do is believe and submit to being shaped”?

We cannot, of course, expect President Barrow to possess the wisdom of Lincoln or Nkrumah’s largeness of soul. However, when we think of why we’ve ousted autocratic regime, we begin by discerning what system our new government is presiding over.

A year and half after the precipitous oust of one of Africa’s remaining brutal and corrupt leaders, a clear replica of his governing style began to unfold in subtle and implacable ways.

Bad governance practices that has been a norm for considerably more than three decades in the Gambia, the system that was ultimately unacceptable degrees of inefficiency, blatant and partisanship. That system is swiftly becoming order of the day in the ‘New Gambia’.

Early 2017, the famous line of the Barrow Administration was; ‘we’ve inherited a depleted treasury’. This has been echoed in all corners of our great nation. The paradox is, this government turned out to be lavish.

In September 2018, Finance Minister Mambury Njie, told lawmakers that the government has spent D239, 923, 034. 4 on travels from January to July this year.

This reflects the heights of how Barrow government is misusing our sovereign national wealth.

By all indications, our change has continued to be merely a revolution from Jammeh’s administration and that’s it. I am inclined to believe that, all Gambians should by now completely know that the decisions we take will have continuance repercussion on the future generations. Should we hand our children the Gambia that is shaped by indecisive men? How is it that only the interest of the foreign investors and some elites matters to the government, interest of disgruntled and poor Gambians don’t!

The eight priorities highlighted in the National Development Plan has been neglected. High rate of unemployment, bad transportation system, poor educational system, injustice and lack of protection for the lives and properties of Gambian citizens continues to persist in the ‘New Gambia’.

Barrow government has blatantly declined to adhere to the basic principles of good governance; accountability and transparency. Thus, corruption is becoming the rule, and purity the exception. The government cannot defend it’s nation, if it’s not held accountable by its citizens and oversight institutions.

Every allegation of corruption in the Gambia, huge or small, should be investigated. It must be got rid of. For the sake of clarity, corruption is not only bribery. It is the abuse of one’s office, misuse of public property, nepotism, cronyism, patronage, failure to follow due process, the list goes on. With this bad governing style going on, citizens became pessimistic and our future looks bleak and hopeless.

It’s crucial to note that, good governance comes from freedom of communication. It comes from ending corruption. It comes from a populace that can go online and say, ‘This politician is corrupt, this administrator, or this public official is corrupt.’ This is what we’ve signed up for, not the contrary.
For the Gambia, ever true.

By, Buba S Njie
Political Science Student.

The President of The Gambia, President Barrow has called for support from the African Union and ECOWAS to keep the sub-region ECOMIG Forces until the end of the transition.

The forces comprising of soldiers from Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria were deployed to The Gambia after the 2016 Presidential Election, which saw the long time ruler Yahya Jammeh defeated.

Speaking at the State House in Banjul on Thursday afternoon during a meeting with African Union Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, Barrow said he was happy to receive the AU chair at his office. He recalled a meeting he had with Moussa Faki Mahamat in Addis Ababa where he was assured of the fullest support of the African Union.

Moussa Faki Mahamat, a Chadian arrived in the country on Wednesday for a day’s official visit.

Barrow used the meeting to renew his call for AU to support his government to bring about the needed change in the country. President Barrow emphasized the importance of peace and security for the attainment of any meaningful development and integration.

“Without peace and stability, the integration we are talking about cannot be achieved.”

For President Barrow, the time has come for Africa to integrate and for the West African nations; it has to start with ECOWAS if the countries are serious about coming together. He said Africa now has what it takes to succeed.

President Barrow added that his government will need support in maintaining the sub-regional forces until the end of the transition period which he says is in 2021. This he said, will help his government accomplish his security reform process.

He told the AU Chair that his government has also embarked on reforms in the judiciary and civil service and security.

“We need support in this transition period.”

Mahamat’s visit is part of his regular interactions with Heads of State and Governments of the AU member states.

Moussa Faki Mahamat commended Barrow for the ongoing reform proceses, while assuring of AU’s support to The Gambia in this transitional phase.

Commenting on the disputes in Cameroon, he says the ultimate objective of the AU is to see peaceful and stable continent. He called for dialogue in ending the dispute.

Mahamat, who was earlier in Senegal, will visit Guinea Bissau to show AU’s support and solidarity for their efforts to strengthen stability, as well as ensure the deepening of democracy and respect for human rights.

By Alagi Yorro Jallow

Do We Have a Nation?

It’s a phantom nation
A tragic experiment
Waiting to implode
Because of the quicksand
That’s it’s foundation
It’s not if….
But when it’ll implode
There’s no nation here!

As communities
We’re incompatible
WEAREONE slogan
Sounds hollow
Emphasis on tribe
Makes us unstable
Vociferous evil spirits on social media
Aggravate the bad scenario
There’s no nation here!

We slaughter each other
At the drop of a hat
Our national anthem
Is just a song
In most of our minds
But it’s a prayer
We absent mindedly chant
Without listening
To the magic words
There’s no nation here!

Where’s the God of all creation
In this ungodliness?
Where’s the shield of justice
In this unfairness?
Where’s the plenty within our borders
In this hunger?
Where’s the dwelling in unity
In this division?
This loveless existence?
This hatred?
There’s no nation here!

Leaders are such a scandal
To the utmost degree
They’re thrust to a carefree world
By their own inclination
They’re wicked without shame
They whore on
Without punishment
In the legislature
Virtue is despised
And all vice encouraged
A Sodom of a universe
With notorious corruption of manners
There’s no nation here!

We’re are a nation
Of hopeless fatalities
Our bonds are fragile
Premised on convenience
Devoid of basics
That make a people one
A nation jaded and divided
Than any time in recent memory
We’re a desperate conglomeration
Of people called tribes
Cohesion is a pipe dream
We’re forever uneasy folks
Lumped together!!!!
There’s no nation here

A nation of extraordinary inequalities
A nation of two economies
One for the few who’ve so much
In their tiny islands of prosperity
And the other for the many
Who’ve so little
In their vast ocean of poverty
A nation cut into two
The gleaming leafy neighborhoods on one hand
And the poverty-stricken slums and countryside villages on the other
There’s no nation here!

Two nations in one
Living side by side
Living separate lives
Born in different hospitals
Live in separate neighborhoods
Riding separate modes of transport
Drinking from separate water fountains
Attending separate schools
Simply apartheid in all but name
With the select few
Living in gated manicured mansions
With tables of plenty
And the majority
In the in famed shanties
Of low self-esteem
A world of inhuman poverty
There’s no nation here

State House, Banjul, 3^rdOctober2018

His Excellency, President Adama Barrow on Tuesday received in audience theChinese Ambassador to The Gambia, His Excellency, Zhang Jiming, who was at the presidency to bid farewell as he comes to the end of his diplomatic tour of duty in The Gambia.

Speaking to the State House press corps after the closed-door meeting, the Chinese diplomat said: “it is a sad moment with mixed feelings. I and President Barrow have reviewed what had happened in the past two years of our bilateral relations and we were satisfied with the achievements and progress of our levels of cooperation and relations”.

He lauded the support given by President Adama Barrow to the China-Gambia relations and assured him and the government of The Gambia that the Chinese side attaches great importance to the ties.

“The Chinese side is also very pleased with the progress in the past two years of the bilateral relationship. We are very confident, on the basis of the One-China principle and also on the basis of mutual respect, benefit, andequality, that our friendship will grow from strength to strength,” hecharged.

Ambassador Jiming said he is “so honored” to be the first Chinese diplomat to serve in The Gambia since the assumption of bilateral ties, adding that he had a momentoustwo and a half years in The Gambia.

“It is because both of us worked on the same goal that we are now where we are. The experience in the past two years gives me confidence, that our relationship has not only a tradition and historybut also a solid foundation,” he said, expressing hopes that his successor will build on this so that a  lot more can be achieved.

Since it was announced that an independent, Africa focused, Australian Securities Exchange listed, Oil and gas exploration and development Company, FAR Limited is to start drilling the first well in many years, there has been lots of questions on the minds of many Gambians.

The Fatu Network in trying to find answers, spoke to authoritative sources who brought clarity and provided answers to many lingering questions. Here we summarize some useful information we believe will provide an insight into the sector.

We learnt that petroleum exploration has been ongoing in The Gambia since the 50s, but it intensified in the early 2000s when 3D seismic volume was acquired in 2003. That is said to have reignited interest in Gambia leading to the grant of an exploration licence to Buried Hill in 2006 and ERIN energy Corporation in 2012 who was then called CAMAC. Erin Energy Corporation is an independent oil and gas exploration and production company focused on energy resources in sub-Saharan Africa.

Driven to a large extent by the availability of data, in 2004, a petroleum bill was enacted and it provided the legal framework for the administration and regulation of Petroleum exploration activities

Do We have Oil In The Gambia?

We learnt that as of today, there is no oil discovered in Gambia. The well that is expected to be drilled will determine whether there is oil or not in that particular area. The Drilling operations is expected to last for about 45 days and will cost FAR Limited about $40 million US dollars.

Once oil is discovered after this drilling, the next stage would be the appraisal stage where amongst others, quality and quantity of the oil will be determined as well as economic viability of extracting the oil. The appraisal stage can costs hundreds of millions of dollars and takes 3-5 years to complete.

The next stage after appraisal is development, this is the process where infrastructures needed will be put up to start extracting the oil. This process takes 3-4 years and can cost billions of US dollars in an offshore (in the sea) environment. Once the infrastructure is in place, the next stage is normally production during which the oil is taken out of the ground and transported to the market to be sold.

On the other hand if oil is not discovered, the oil company that has invested millions of dollars will lose their investment.

From the figures quoted above it is clear that exploration is highly capital intensive and high risk, hence the main reason why Governments do not like funding the process. The level of risk and capital requirements also explains why the reward is high which goes to confirm the truism that ‘no pain no gain’. Oil companies take the risk and invest their capital in anticipation of reward when the efforts are successful.

Who Has Petroleum Exploration License in the Gambia?

The Gambia Government gave a petroleum exploration license to ERIN Energy Corporation and ERIN ended up selling 80% to FAR Limited. FAR farmed-out(sold)40% to PETRONAS Global, the custodians of Malaysia’s national oil and gas resources. Farm outs are transfers of shares in a licence through which one party transfers interest in a license to another party and often in-return for performance of certain work commitments or paying part of a certain cost in relations to the said license. Such transactions are said to be common practice in oil and gas industry during exploration, appraisal, development or production stages. It shares risk!

ERIN Energy’s license covers two blocks A2 and A5 (these are areas in the Atlantic ocean not in Kiang). Right now another six blocks are in the process of being licensed with ten companies already shortlisted including FAR Limited and Tullow Oil. I understand that the Gambia Government has also established a national petroleum negotiation committee comprising of key government institutions working on legislation and structures and also to manage the process of blocks licensing.

What is Government’s share?

A lot has been said about Government’s shares in these licenses, but this is what I learnt and I believe will be of interest to many Gambians. I said earlier that due to the risk and capital intensity of exploration, governments do not want to put any hard earned tax payers monies that could be otherwise spent on deserved social needs of the population into a risky business.What government instead did is to agree with the exploration companies that once oil is found and development starts, then Gambia has the option to take 15% of the interest. This is done by each of the interest holders giving up percentages proportional to the shares to add up to give government its 15%.

In addition, to this I learnt that government will also be entitled to a certain percentage as royalty as well as different taxes such as corporate tax, income tax, withholding tax etc. These revenue streams all put together will result in government getting over 50% of positive cash flow.

I hope these findings will shed some light on the workings of the petroleum activities. We will update you as we dig more into this issue.

By Omar Jarju

Age cheating in African Football is becoming a huge effect on football clubs and National teams across the continent that many at times lead to unrolling performances.

The major and latest setback is suffered by Nigeria U17 Golden Eaglets with 15 of the 40 players listed for the final team selection all failed the mandatory MRI age-test ahead of their zonal qualifiers in Niger next month.

The development is a recollect of that of two years ago when as many as 23 players failed the age test so much so that the five-time world champions Ghana equally failed to qualify for the U17 AFCON in Rwanda.

In 2009 when as newly-crowned African champions for the second time, more than half of the Gambian team were found to be overage and therefore disqualified when the Fifa Under-17 World Cup used the MRI technology for the first time to prove the age of players.

The cause of this has now send shockwaves as to what the future now holds for the growth of African football.

Meanwhile, here are the taught of some African sports Journalists on the causes of age cheating and possible solutions to this problem.

Abdoulie Bah: a multiple award winning Gambian sports journalist host, now based in the US. I think we can deal with the problem of age cheating in African football to some extend by using modern technology like the MRI test. But while that will reduce the opportunity of age cheating, I have to say that it wouldn’t eliminate it at all. I think we should stop making excuses for intentional cheating in football. We have to try to improve the financial status of clubs, I think this is the root cause of everything because clubs are so poor in African football that they try to rush the development of their players. We also have to improve the data saving methods of our league organizers, be it the football federation and the continental bodies should be able to have ways of detecting people who enter double age in difference competitions. Finally, we have to expose and ban football officials who are corrupt because some of these things are caused by football officials. Go everywhere around Africa, technical Directors, coaches and other officials who have connections to national teams try to accept bribes from especially young talents that are coming from Europe of African descent. Some of them don’t have any opportunity to represent their adopted countries, so of some officials take bribes to accept these people to that national teams.

EMEKA, a Nigerian Journalist- Age cheating in African football in a big program and it doesn’t allow our footballers get to their great potentials. For the case of Nigeria, they’ve won the U17 world cup for five times, more than any other country in the world. But unfortunately, the same Nigeria had failed to win the U20 world cup let alone getting into the quarter final of the FIFA world cup at senior level. What this means is that, in Nigeria they use a lot over age players to player under age competitions. At the end of the day, you see a 27 year old playing as an U17 and by the time he is 20 years old, he already passed his time and at the end of the day, he doesn’t get to realize his full potential.  So, it’s a general process in Africa and we have to look at ways to fix it.

MICHAEL OTI ADJEI, BBC Sports Reporter in Ghana- Well, I think is pretty obvious that when players cheat at the very early stage, shows a case of dishonesty in them. From that moment, there is nothing right about them because they know that they can’t fix a passport, you can cheat your way into the highest level. If I look at the way African players have raised into the top level in Europe, I’m not sure that age cheating is impacting on their long term careers. This is a serious thing in African football, and we can fix by exposing those involved in it.

State House, 26^thOctober2018

His Excellency, President Adama Barrow has told the United Nations that since Gambians voted for change in 2016 by bringing him into office, his government has been working hard to deliver a fully transformed Gambia that is energy secured, food self-sufficient and investment friendly. “In all, our goal is to deliver a fully transformed Gambia that has a future,” he told the world body.

The President and delegation traveled to New York, US, last week to participate in the 73^rdOrdinary Session of the United Nations General Assembly – a body that rendered full support when the country called for the global assistance in response to a political impasse that nearly put the country on a collision course with violent conflict about two years ago. Today, the President stood before them to express delight that Gambians have managed to restore democracy and the rule of law in their country.

He opined that a key reason Gambians voted for change in December 2016 was that they actually yearned to be in charge of their own destiny. “They wanted significant, not cosmetic improvements in their lives. It is for this reason that my government is now implementing a comprehensive National Development Plan (2018-2021). The Plan seeks to transform The Gambia through key priorities, such as infrastructural development, agricultural transformation, macroeconomic stability, job creation, andemployment,” he told the UN body in his contribution to the general debate.

The National Development Plan, which is the country’s development blueprint, was designed to consolidate democratic gains through good governance, rule of law and respect for human and people’s rights. President Barrow said his government is resolutely pursuing institutional and constitutional reforms with the hope of putting The Gambia on a solid path to becoming a shining champion of democracy and human rights in the world.

Under two years in office, the President reported that his government has begun exploiting and harnessing the benefits of Information Communication Technology as a catalyst for modernization and youth empowerment.

The President also used the opportunity to highlight the value that his government placed on the Gambian Diaspora and how they fit into his development agenda. “In our pursuit for a fully transformed Gambia, we recognize the importance of a meaningful engagement with The Gambian Diaspora – fondly referred to as ‘The Eighth Region of The Gambia’. Our Diaspora strategy seeks to explore and utilize the skills, talent, andresources of Gambians everywhere for the successful implementation of the National Development Plan,” he said, noting that the Plan is consistent with the Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development, as well as the African Union Agenda 2063.

While pointing out that The Gambian experience demonstrates that democracy yields positive dividends, the president called for strong international support to consolidate the remarkable gains, particularly to curb migration and create more job opportunities.

‘’Remarkably, we have noticed a decrease in the number of youths attempting to undertake dangerous journeys across the Mediterranean to Europe. The average Gambian is willing to stay in the country and contribute to national development. Despite these positive developments, I strongly urge that interventionsto curb youth migration be supported through incentives. Better educational and job opportunities must be harnessed for the youth in order to inspire them and give them hope in life’’.

State House, Banjul, 2^ndOctober, 2018 –The new Ambassador and Executive Secretary of the Senegalo-Gambia Permanent Secretariat in Banjul has said that their Excellences, Presidents, Adama Barrow, andMacky Sall, of The Gambia and Senegal, respectively, are very committed to taking the relations between their two countries to higher heights.

Ambassador Seck was at the State House to pay a courtesy call on President Barrow for the first time since assuming office in July this year.

“I am here to seek advice, and most importantly, the support of President Adama Barrow, as the Executive Secretary of the Senegambia Secretariat. President Barrow spoke of how important this Secretariat is to him and his colleague-brother, President Macky Sall,” the top diplomat told the State House press corps.

Prior to his appointment as Executive Secretary of theSenegambiansecretariat, His Excellency, Mr. Fode Seck was the Permanent Representative of Senegal to the United Nations. Ambassador Seck, a widely respected, consummate diplomat, served as a long-time ambassador and diplomatic counselorto the Prime Minister of Senegal from 2002.

Mr. Seck was accompanied to the State House by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Momodou Tangara. The chief Gambian diplomat told the State House press corps that the two Presidents wish to give the secretariat a new lease life that commensurateswith the new dispensation:

“We have all witnessed the level that the two presidents have brought the Senegal-Gambia rapport in all fields. So my job with my colleagues at the Secretariat, along with the deputy Ambassador is very important. That’s why we need the President’s counsel and advice.”

The Senegal-Gambia Secretariat started as an interstate committee during the First Republic that worked hard to produce the short-lived SenegambiaConfederation in 1981. It was during the tenure of Minister Tangara and his Senegalese counterpart, Madike Niang, as foreign ministers of the two countries that it was brought back to life by signing a bilateral agreement.

The Senegalese ambassador reiterated the commitment of the two foreign Ministers to transform the strong desire of close integration of the leaders of both countries into action. “When they met here for the very first Presidential joint conference in The Gambia, myself and Tangara were both in New York as permanent representatives of our respective countries and we were so happy watching the two Presidents renew hopes of the Senegambianpeople’’, adding that he has got a personal experience of how eager and happy the peoples of the countries are about stronger ties between the two neighbors.

Ambassador Seck also outlined the activities and progress of the crucial work being spearheaded by the secretariat, ranging from border demarcation to closed cooperation and intelligence exchanges between the security services of the two countries to stem out cross-bordercrimes. He said the Joint Border Management Commission, under the auspices of the Secretariat, met in Dakar and came up with a roadmap to tour the entire borders on the North and the South banks to sensitize the people that we are the same. He also disclosed that the heads of the two armed forces of the two countries met to discuss and produce a protocol and operational mechanisms of eliminating trans-border criminal activities.

Africa’s leading entrepreneurship-focused philanthropic organisation, the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), has announced October 25, 2018, as the date for its 4thannual TEF Entrepreneurship Forum.

The largest gathering of African entrepreneurs and the broader entrepreneurship ecosystem will unite over 5,000 entrepreneurs, global investors, leaders from the African public and private sectors and developmental organizations at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos.

The event is a unique opportunity to generate ideas, forge networks and bring policymakers and the private sector together, in a spirit of robust debate and interaction. The 2018 cohort from the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme, as well as mentors and partners, will be present, as the culmination of their intensive twelve-week induction.

Five Gambian entrepreneurs have been listed in the 1000 African entrepreneurs selected for the 2018 Tony Elumelu Foundation programme announced early this year.
The Foundation announced that Almameh Manneh- agribusiness, Bakau Dem- Energy/Power Generation, Bankey Oliver Charles N’jie- ICT, Bubacarr J.B. Touray- agribusiness and Chan Mendy- Fashion will participate in the African founded 21st century philanthropic organisation programme. The Foundation is committed to entrepreneurship development and applications were received from over 150, 000 entrepreneurs.

Over the past three years, some other promising Gambian entrepreneurs including Momarr Mass Taal, Mbadiba Cham, Gabriel Gomez, Kaw Yerro Cham and Kujeh Kah have all benefited from the foundation’s programme.

In keeping with the Foundation’s track record―most recently with President Macron of France―of bringing politicians face to face with the new generation of young business women and men shaping Africa, the Forum will include an interactive session with President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, moderated by TEF Founder, Tony O. Elumelu.

The Forum, according to TEF, will also feature the launch of the TEFConnect, the world’s largest digital platform for African entrepreneurs, dedicated to connecting African entrepreneurs and the entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Founder, Tony O. Elumelu, CON, stated: “In just four years, we have directly impacted 4,460 entrepreneurs, and we are beginning to see the results – job creation, ripple effects, but most importantly a recognition that Africa’s economic well-being is driven by entrepreneurs: female and male, large and small – they are the engine of our continent’s transformation. We will be championing and celebrating them.

This year, we are truly achieving scale and impact; we received over 150,000 applications in 2017 alone, up from 20,000 applications in 2015. We are now calling on the current generation of African success stories and others to partner with us to see how we can all further create impact, genuinely transform millions of lives and increase the number of inspiring stories we will be hearing in Lagos”.

TEF CEO, Parminder Vir OBE stated: “The TEF Entrepreneurship Forum is the only event across the continent that brings together the complete African entrepreneurship ecosystem, demonstrating our commitment to capturing the whole continuum – from the entrepreneurs themselves, governments who must provide enabling environments, to capital, advice and perhaps most importantly access and network”.

Inspired by Tony Elumelu’s economic philosophy of Africapitalism and his vision to institutionalize luck and democratize opportunity for a new generation of African entrepreneurs, the Tony Elumelu Foundation has implemented one of the most ambitious entrepreneurship programmes globally.

Launched in 2015, the Programme is a 10-year, $100 million commitment to identify, train, mentor, and fund 10,000 entrepreneurs. Its goal is to invest in businesses that will generate at least 1,000,000 new jobs and contribute at least $10 billion in new annual revenues across Africa.

In its 4th year, the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme has empowered 4,460 entrepreneurs with a total investment of USD20million; 4,000 funded directly by the Foundation and 460 have been funded by partners.