Mrs Parminder Obe, the TEF’s Chief
Executive Officer, who made this known at a briefing in Lagos, said the
3rd Annual TEF Entrepreneurship Forum has been slated for October 13.
She said the 2017 invitation had been
extended beyond the usual 1,000 Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurs to include
selected SMEs, media, hubs, incubators, academia and investors from
across Africa.
“Assembled SMEs will build networks,
share knowledge, connect with investors and link with corporate supply
chains. Since launching the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme and
committing $100 million to empowering 10,000 African entrepreneurs in a
decade, we have unleashed our continent’s most potent development force,
its entrepreneurs.
“In just three years, our first 3,000
entrepreneurs have created tens of thousands of jobs and generated
considerable wealth. On October 13 and 14, the global entrepreneurship
community will gather in Lagos to build a New Africa, a thriving,
self-reliant continent capable of replicating the results of our
ground-breaking programme.
“The two-day forum will feature plenary
panels, master classes, sector specific networking opportunities and
policy-led forums focused on enabling African business growth.
“This is the first year we have opened
the forum up to include the full pan-African entrepreneurship ecosystem.
In doing so, we are enabling African SME communities to come together
and expand the possibilities for intra-African partnerships.
“I am looking forward to welcoming our
invited policy-makers and investors to join us at the forum, as we
empower the next generation of African business leaders,’’ she said.
Also speaking, Mrs Owen Omogiafo, the
TEF’s Chief Operating Officer, said speakers at the forum would include
Wale Ayeni of International Finance Corporation, Stephen Kauma, Afrexim
Bank and Andre Hue, African Development Bank.
“Others are Stephen M. Haykin, USAID
Nigeria, Heikke Reugger, European Investment Bank and Abdoulaye Mar
Dieye, United Nations Development Programme,’’ she said.
No comments: