President Paul Kagame on Friday arrived in Abuja, Nigeria for the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Forum 2019. The summit is hosted and was founded by business magnate Tony Elumelu, Chairman of Heirs Holdings and the United Bank for Africa (UBA) presenting an intimate open house discussion with over 5,000 African entrepreneurs across different sectors. The event provides a unique opportunity for young women and men, from all African countries, to meet, learn and network with the broader African and global entrepreneurship ecosystem. It also provides an opportunity for political leaders and policymakers to interact with a new generation of African business leaders, who are transforming Africa’s economic trajectory. Other leaders taking part alongside Kagame include President Macky Sall of Senegal, President Felix Tshisekedi of DRC, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo of Nigeria and Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda of Uganda. The Presidential panel is a highlight of the Forum, allowing the African entrepreneurs in attendance to closely engage with political leaders, to give first-hand testimony of the important role the government can play in catalysing growth and encouraging business ambition. Last evening President Kagame joined President Felix Tshisekedi of DRC and Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda of Uganda in a presidential dinner hosted by Tony Elumelu. The two-day forum is the culmination of the annual Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme, which this year mentored, trained and seeded over 3,000 young Africans, selected from over 200,000 applicants. Twenty-five Rwandans are among the selected participants. The Rwandan entrepreneurs are, among others, involved in agriculture, tourism, transportation, manufacturing, healthcare or education. The programme directly funds 1,000 young African entrepreneurs with outstanding enterprises and business ideas. This year’s selection includes 2,050 entrepreneurs, supported by the Foundation’s partners in addition to the annual commitment, bringing the total number of entrepreneurs empowered by the Foundation to date to 7,520. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
