Tony Elumelu

Revolutionized African entrepreneurship through impact investing

Tony Onyemaechi Elumelu, a Nigerian economist and philanthropist, has redefined corporate leadership in Africa through his groundbreaking Tony Elumelu Foundation. As architect of the 'Africapitalism' philosophy, he pioneered a development model where private sector growth directly correlates with social wealth creation.

His $100 million commitment through the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme has trained and funded over 15,000 African entrepreneurs since 2015. Unlike traditional aid models, Elumelu's approach emphasizes sustainable empowerment, creating an ecosystem that supports startups from 54 African countries with mentorship, seed capital, and market access.

As chairman of Heirs Holdings and United Bank for Africa, Elumelu transformed UBA from single-country operations into a pan-African bank serving 20+ million customers across 20 nations. His energy investments through Transcorp Power have added 2,000MW to Nigeria's national grid.