Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) 11th cohort 2025 Update

The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), a leading philanthropy focused on empowering African entrepreneurs, is preparing to announce the 11th cohort of its flagship TEF Entrepreneurship Programme on Saturday, March 22, 2025. 

This announcement comes at a significant moment, as Africa’s entrepreneurship ecosystem navigates challenges such as funding shortages and global economic pressures.

TEF remains committed to supporting African entrepreneurs by providing them with the resources needed to turn their innovative ideas into sustainable businesses that drive economic growth and job creation across the continent.

Each entrepreneur selected for the 2025 cohort will receive a non-refundable seed capital grant of $5,000, access to world-class business training through TEFConnect, personalized mentorship, and opportunities to connect with global networks for further growth and investment. The selection process, overseen by Ernst & Young, ensures an independent and rigorous evaluation of applicants, maintaining the program’s credibility and impact.

Since launching the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme in 2015, the foundation has made a profound difference, empowering thousands of young African women and men. To date, TEF has disbursed over $100 million in direct funding, trained more than 2.5 million individuals via its digital platform, TEFConnect, and supported entrepreneurs who have collectively generated over $4.2 billion in revenue and created more than 1.5 million direct and indirect jobs. This work aligns with TEF’s mission, rooted in Africapitalism, which emphasizes the private sector’s role—particularly entrepreneurs—as the key to Africa’s social and economic development.

Tony O. Elumelu, the founder of TEF and Group Chairman of Heirs Holdings, has emphasized his belief that Africa’s transformation depends not on aid but on empowering its next generation of entrepreneurs with the tools, funding, training, and networks they need to succeed. Over the past decade, TEF has scaled its impact across all 54 African countries, refining its approach to ensure entrepreneurs are equipped to address the continent’s challenges and create wealth for their communities.

The announcement of the 2025 cohort is highly anticipated, marking another step in TEF’s ongoing efforts to foster entrepreneurship and economic prosperity throughout Africa.