Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, says he has high hopes in Africa’s socioeconomic and political development despite the many challenges facing the continent.
Professor Osinbajo spoke at a boot-camp organized by the Tony Elumelu Foundation on entrepreneurship which was held at the Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Southwest Nigeria.
The Vice President stressed the need for African leaders to provide the much needed political will through flexible and coherent policy framework that would transform the continent.
Professor Osinbajo also asked beneficiaries of the programme to always maintain a high degree of integrity, discipline and respect for the rule of law.
The first batch of beneficiaries drawn from across 51 African countries including Nigeria by the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme, were 1000 young, determined and budding entrepreneurs.
The initiative aims at discovering and supporting 10,000 African entrepreneurs over the next decade with the mandate of creating one million jobs which would eventually remove the continent from the stereotype of a continent of famine, disease, unemployment and wars.
Also addressing the beneficiaries on what government at all levels must do to encourage budding entrepreneurs, the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, challenged business and political leaders to be more responsible and responsive towards the development of the sociopolitical and economic needs of the continent.
The Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme launched last December. It is a $100million initiative aimed at discovering and supporting 10,000 indigenous entrepreneurs with a focus on agriculture, education, commerce, ICT and health-care.
The event was attended by the Prime Minister of Benin Republic, Lionel Zinsou, the Founder of the Elumelu Foundation, Mr Tony Elumelu, among other dignitaries.
