{"id":2737,"date":"2026-05-21T14:51:52","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T14:51:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/?p=2737"},"modified":"2026-05-21T14:52:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T14:52:15","slug":"tony-elumelu-pushes-for-investment-driven-african-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/?p=2737","title":{"rendered":"Tony Elumelu Pushes for Investment-Driven African Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tony Elumelu at Africa Forward Summit: \u201cOur Youth Do Not Need Handouts\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heirs Holdings Founder tells Presidents Ruto and Macron that Africa wants partners of substance, based on equality, and that power and infrastructure must come first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the 2026 Africa Forward Summit, convened by Kenyan President H.E. William Ruto and French President H.E. Emmanuel Macron, Heirs Holdings Founder and Group Chair, Tony O. Elumelu, CFR, delivered a direct message to a room of heads of state, investors, and global business leaders: Africa is open for partnership, not patronage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe welcome true partnership \u2014 partnerships of substance and based on equity \u2014 where Africans and African solutions catalyse Africa\u2019s future\u201d, he remarked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elumelu argued that Africa\u2019s transformation hinges on two foundational investments \u2014 electricity and infrastructure \u2014 and that private capital must do the heavy lifting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe private sector is what will help us mobilise capital to drive investment in infrastructure, investment in electricity. These are two critical requirements for the economic prosperity and development of Africa,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we create the right operating environment, we will create jobs for our people. We will alleviate poverty and deliver growth and prosperity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With more than 65 percent of Africans under 35, Elumelu pushed back hard against the traditional language of aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn Africa, we have a young population. There is no room for victim mentality. Our youth do not need handouts; they need jobs, they need improved access to electricity, they need to join the internet. What is important is providing this enablement, this infrastructure requirement, so that our young ones can realise their potential.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) has now provided access to training for 2.5 million young Africans and funded over 27,000 entrepreneurs across all 54 African countries \u2014 the continent\u2019s largest entrepreneurship platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elumelu signalled openness to every credible partner, regardless of geography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is a good place to be at, as Africans, now. We should embrace those who want to help us catalyse growth in Africa. And let us not forget Africa is the fastest growing region globally \u2013 and it is not just demographics\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the 21st century, the mindset must change. It should be a mindset that embraces economic prosperity and development, a mindset that creates the environment that will help us alleviate poverty in Africa, create jobs for our young people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tony Elumelu\u2019s participation at the summit aligns with Heirs Holdings\u2019 broader commitment to driving long-term African development through strategic investments across sectors critical to economic transformation, including power, financial services, healthcare, hospitality, and technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2026 Africa Forward Summit concluded with renewed calls for deeper collaboration between governments, development institutions, and the private sector, as leaders exploredaid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn Africa, we have a young population. There is no room for victim mentality. Our youth do not need handouts; they need jobs, they need improved access to electricity, they need to join the internet. What is important is providing this enablement, this infrastructure requirement, so that our young ones can realise their potential.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) has now provided access to training for 2.5 million young Africans and funded over 27,000 entrepreneurs across all 546 African countries \u2014 the continent\u2019s largest entrepreneurship platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Elumelu signalled openness to every credible partner, regardless of geography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is a good place to be at, as Africans, now. We should embrace those who want to help us catalyse growth in Africa. And let us not forget Africa is the fastest growing region globally \u2013 and it is not just demographics\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the 21st century, the mindset must change. It should be a mindset that embraces economic prosperity and development, a mindset that creates the environment that will help us alleviate poverty in Africa, create jobs for our young people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tony Elumelu\u2019s participation at the summit aligns with Heirs Holdings\u2019 broader commitment to driving long-term African development through strategic investments across sectors critical to economic transformation, including power, financial services, healthcare, hospitality, and technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2026 Africa Forward Summit concluded with renewed calls for deeper collaboration between governments, development institutions, and the private sector, as leaders explored pathways to accelerate inclusive growth and strengthen Africa\u2019s position within the global economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tony Elumelu at Africa Forward Summit: \u201cOur Youth Do Not Need Handouts\u201d Heirs Holdings Founder…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2737"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2737\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2741,"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2737\/revisions\/2741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}