Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship

I will be representing the Tony Elumelu Foundation at the 15th Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, April 10th – 13th, 2018, Oxford UK.

At the Forum, I will join a panel on Proximate Philanthropy: Exploring Power and Privilege in the Funding Landscape discussing how philanthropic organizations can better understand the imbalances in funding and support of individuals and communities in need, recognizing privilege and bias within the sector, and embrace the value of proximity—even from afar? The Foundation will also engage stakeholders in bilateral meetings at the forum. 

The Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship is the premier international platform for advancing entrepreneurial approaches and solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. This year, conversations at the Forum will be organized around the theme of The Power of Proximity.

On the 1st of January 2018, the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme opened its portal to all African entrepreneurs marking the launch of the 4th cycle of the Programme.

An unprecedented 151, 692 Africans in 114 countries from Africa and around the world registered to apply – a strong indicator of the entrepreneurial energy across the continent.

On Thursday 22nd March, we announced the selection of 1000, plus 250 additional entrepreneurs, thanks to our partnerships with ICRC, UNDP, and Indorama. The 2018 Application close out statistic are attached. You can view the full list of 1,250 TEF 2018 Entrepreneurs here.

With over 4,000 beneficiaries impacted so far, a network of over 300,000 entrepreneurs who have applied to our programme, our new partnerships, and the many others to follow, there is no better time to share the story of building one of the most ambitious entrepreneurship programmes on the continent with social entrepreneurs gathered at the 15th Skoll World Forum.

Founded on the principles of Africapitalism, in 2015, when we launched TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, we set out to democratize and institutionalise luck by designing an authentic, innovative, credible, homegrown, and game-changing programme that will bring economic transformation in Africa from the ground up. We are equipping our entrepreneurs with the skills, networks, mindset, and values they need to succeed as the next generation of business titans.

For further insights into the work of the foundation visit:

Watch the 2015 TEF 30 minutes Documentary

Thank you.