The Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu, has asserted that Africa’s greatest resource and economic strength lies not in its vast reserves of oil and gold, but in its people.
In a statement marking his birthday this Sunday, Tony Elumelu announced the commencement of the 2026 Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) program, unveiling a new cohort of young African entrepreneurs set to receive seed capital and mentorship.
Elumelu wrote, “Today, I turn a year older. And every year on this day, I reflect on something far bigger than me.
“For a long time, I believed luck was something that just happens to you. Then I realised, luck can be engineered. Opportunity can be democratised.”
He added, “Hope is not just a feeling; it is a system we can build.
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“That belief is why, today on my birthday, my wife and I will unveil the 2026 cohort of @TonyElumeluFDN entrepreneurs.”
Elumelu explained that in a world full of uncertainty, he had deliberately chosen to plant certainty in the lives of young African entrepreneurs.
He said, “In a world full of uncertainty, I have chosen deliberately, every single year, to plant certainty in the lives of young African entrepreneurs.
“Africa’s greatest resource has never been oil or gold. It has always been her people.”
“To our new Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurs: this is your moment. We did not choose you because your path was easy. We chose you because you kept going when it wasn’t,” Elumelu concluded.
