The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Sunday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to empower 200 Nigerians in distressed communities in the northeast and Niger Delta.
The foundation and ICRC signed the MoU in Abuja and agreed to provide a non-returnable seed funding of one million dollars to the 200 selected entrepreneurs, each receiving up to five thousand dollars, to implement their business ideas.
Mr Tony Elumelu, founder TEF, said that the partnership with ICRC has helped to expand the foundation’s Entrepreneurship Programme aimed at empowering 10,000 entrepreneurs in the African continent with one hundred million dollars over 10-year period, starting 2015.
Elumelu said that with the partnership 200 more entrepreneurs would now be given economic hope which would help them uplift their communities as they succeed.
“We approached some international development agencies and I am happy to say that the ICRC responded.
“What the Red Cross has done is to further support us to do more especially to people who need it the most; people in distressed communities like our brothers and sisters in the northeast and the Niger Delta parts of Nigeria.
“What the Red Cross is doing today through this one-million-dollar initiative is commendable and helps us at the foundation, as Nigeria and a people to begin to correct some of the problems we have that create the security challenges we are faced with.”
The TEF founder further urged development partners to create more opportunities for promoting self-reliance, economic empowerment and sustainability.
“I use this opportunity to call on other donor organisations and development partners that in the 21st century we need to reexamine the way we give to Africa.
“We need to realise that what creates permanent development, peace and prosperity is the ability to make someone a fisherman rather than a fish eater.
“We believe that access to economic opportunities and economic empowerment is key to alleviating poverty, thriving inclusive growth and ensuring we have peace and less security challenges in Africa and globally.”
In his address, Patrick Youssef, ICRC Deputy Director for Africa, the partnership would help develop income-generating and sustainable programmes that would help people affected by violence or conflicts.
Youssef said that following discussion with affected communities, businesses with innovative ideas would be supported in the areas of agriculture, healthcare, microfinance, construction, commerce and fashion.
“We decided to support start-ups with innovative ideas, generated by men and women of all walks of life, with or without prior education.”
Head of Delegation of the ICRC to Nigeria, Eloi Fillion, however, said that the success recorded would chart the way for the replication of the programme in other African countries.
“This year is the first step and we hope it will be successful and if successful we will like to expand the programme beyond the borders of Nigeria and we have delegations all over Africa.”
The TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, which began in 2015, has provided seed fund, trained and mentored 3000 entrepreneurs from countries across Africa.
More than 50 per cent, 1,593, of the beneficiaries of the programme, are Nigerians.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Director Partnerships, Monitoring and Evaluation, TEF, Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu, said that the ICRC would assist the TEF in identifying the 200 applicants in conflict affected areas.“They will assist us because they are on ground.
“They know those who are in these communities that need the support and understand the terrain but they are going to assist with putting through the applicants that will attempt the programme and from there we will select the 200 candidates.
“They will apply like the rest of the other candidates and that is where ICRC will give the support they need to go through the application process.”
