Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP) 2026 for young African Entrepreneurs. ($5,000 in Seed Capital)

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Application Deadline: March 1st, 2026

Applications at the moment are open for the 2026 Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme. The Tony Elumelu Foundation, which celebrated ten years of affect in 2020, is empowering a brand new technology of African entrepreneurs, via the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme.  Successful candidates obtain a world-class enterprise coaching, mentorship, non-refundable seed capital as much as $5,000, and international networking Opportunities.  The Programme is open to entrepreneurs throughout Africa, each new start-ups and present young companies, working in any sector.

Eligibility: 

• The Entrepreneurship Programme identifies excellent African entrepreneurs who’ve start-ups or enterprise concepts with the potential to develop.
• Eligible Countries: African nations

Benefits

• The coaching has been tailor-made to coach and capacitise you in beginning or rising what you are promoting to beat the challenges confronted by entrepreneurs throughout the African continent. 
• The curriculum focuses on sensible, iterative studying that’s helpful even lengthy after the coaching interval.  

The Programme, Participation & Disqualification  

1. The Programme is made up of the next levels all of which type the Programme cycle: 

Application Process  
2. Successful Applicants are these Applicants who full the Application type, attain the minimal application rating necessities and are accepted into the Programme.  

3. Successful candidates will probably be enrolled into the TEF Business Management Training programme. 

4. Unsuccessful Applicants will probably be directed to take the TEF General Business Training on TEFConnect and will probably be eligible to reapply for different TEF Programmes. 

Verification & Onboarding 
5. Applicants will  be verified and onboarded by the Promoter. Verification will contain the submission of required paperwork by the Applicant in order to allow the Promoter to determine the state of the Business or Business thought in addition to the identification of the applicant. 

6. Successful Applicants who don’t meet the verification necessities will probably be faraway from the Programme and notified of removing by way of electronic mail.  

7. Programme Participants usually are not allowed to designate their Business Partners to undertake any part of the Programme. All trainings, duties and actions to be undertaken below the Programme shall be carried out by solely the Programme Participants. However, Programme Participants might share the coaching factors with their enterprise companions to institutionalise the coaching for the success of the Business or the Business Idea. 

8. During the TEF Business Management Training Programme™ Participants’ progress will probably be tracked and assessed. The coaching shall be made accessible in English, French, Portuguese, and Arabic.   

9. Upon completion of the final week of the TEF Business Management Training Programme Participants will probably be assessed, and high scoring Programme Participants will probably be notified by way of electronic mail that they are going to be continuing to the Business Plan preparation stage.  

10. Programme Participants who don’t full this stage or don’t proceed past this stage of the Programme will probably be faraway from the Programme and be notified by way of electronic mail.  

Business Training  
11. Once Successful Applicants are onboarded, they may proceed to the coaching stage and are granted entry to undertake the Foundation’s proprietary TEF Business Management Training Programme™ . 

Business Plan Preparation & Submission 

12. Programme Participants who’ve been onboarded to the TEF Business Management Training Programme will obtain a marketing strategy template to develop a marketing strategy doc for evaluate and evaluation. This evaluate and evaluation will probably be primarily based on related metrics together with feasibility and sustainability. Programme Participants should submit their Business Plans by the required deadline to be eligible for consideration for the following stage of the programme. 

13. The high scoring Programme Participants from this stage will probably be notified by way of electronic mail and can proceed to the Pitching Competition stage.    

14. Any Programme Participant who doesn’t full this stage of the Programme or just isn’t profitable at this stage will probably be faraway from the Programme and notified of removing by way of electronic mail.   

Pitching Competition  

15. Top scoring Programme Participants shortlisted from the marketing strategy stage will take part in the Pitching Competition the place they may pitch their enterprise plans to a panel of judges or submit their pitch movies to the Promoter.  

16. Top scoring Programme Participants from the Pitching Competition will probably be chosen primarily based on a predetermined choice standards and will probably be eligible to obtain the Seed Capital.  

17. Programme Participants who usually are not chosen from the Pitching Competition to obtain the Seed Capital will probably be notified by way of electronic mail and will probably be categorised as TEF Trainees.  

18. Any Programme Participant who doesn’t full this stage of the Programme will probably be faraway from the Programme and notified of removing by way of electronic mail.  

Seed Capital 

19. The Selected Entrepreneurs from the Pitching Competition will probably be notified by way of electronic mail.  

20. Disbursement of the Seed Capital will probably be made by way of digital switch into the Selected Entrepreneurs’ Business Bank Account. Banking and different expenses might apply and shall not be borne by the Foundation. The complete quantity acquired might due to this fact be lower than US$5,000 equal. TEF Partner funded entrepreneurs will obtain seed capital in line with the companion commitments and this will probably be communicated in due course to Programme Participants who will probably be funded by companions.  

21. The disbursement of the Seed Capital will probably be by fee into the Selected Entrepreneurs

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme