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Day Two of 2019 Tony Elumelu Foundation Forum Underway with Osinbajo, Kagame, Other African Leaders in Attendance
It’s the second day of the fifth edition of the Tony Elumelu Foundation Forum holding at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.
Five African presidents, as well as Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, are expected to grace today’s event.
Themed ‘Empowering African Entrepreneurs,’ the forum is arguably the largest gathering of entrepreneurs, policymakers, and business leaders across the continent.
The event kicks off at exactly 10.20 a.m. with a rendition of the Nigerian national anthem
Followed by Rwandan, then Senegalese, and the Democratic Republic of Congo: in that order.
Those in attendance include Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, President Macky Sall of Senegal, President Felix Tshisekedi of the DRC, and Akinwunmi Adesina, the president of the African Development Bank.
Others include Isa Jibril, a senator representing the Senate President; Alhassan Doguwa, Majority Leader, House of Representatives, representing the Speaker; and the Head of Service, Winifred Oyo-Ita.
The governors of Niger, Ekiti, Kwara, and Kebbi states are also in attendance.
A minute silence is observed for the late Tunisian president, Beji Caid Essebsi.
The CEO of The Tony Elumelu Foundation Forum, Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu, in her opening remarks says the event is the beginning of the rise of African entrepreneurship.
She says the movement is creating jobs and generating revenues in their millions.
She says $5 billion will create one million entrepreneurs who will, in turn, create 25 million jobs.
The first plenary for the day will be moderated by Fareed Zakaria, CNN anchor.
Members of the panel include Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation; Akinwunmi Adesina, AfDB President; Benedict Oramah, Director-General, AFREXIM Bank; Sidi Tar, DG, BADEA; Koen Doens, the Deputy DG of the EU Commission; Gilles Carbonnier, VP ICRC; and Mr Elumelu
Mr Zakaria tells the panellist to speak from the heart and do away with cliches.
The first speaker, Mr Adesina, says Africa is no longer arising but “has risen.”
Mr Adesina says 12-13 million people enter the market every year and cannot find jobs.
He says Africa will have about 800 young people in 2050 and a billion people by 2060.
“We can’t keep postponing our liabilities into the future.”
He proposes that African leaders should begin to change from youth empowerment to youth investment.
He says it’s time for African leaders to create youth entrepreneurship and investment banks for African youth.
Mr Tah says microfinance has been instrumental to BADEA’s success in Africa.
He says they are working to develop capacities across Africa
Our vision is to scale up our intervention with all our stakeholders. We are also in the process of creating new financial institutions to cater to those who don’t have access to formal banking systems.”
Mr Doens says they want to show that beyond the issue of illegal migration that there is a continent booming.
He says most of the jobs in Europes have been created by small and medium scale firms and there is no reason why African entrepreneurs cannot do the same.
Mr Carbonnier of the Red Cross says the problem is not always the lack of capital but difficulties in finding bankable projects.
Mr says when he was running an African magazine, they struggled to put a correspondent in one African country because of the difficulties in connecting between the countries.
“It was easier to position a correspondent in London or Paris than anywhere in Africa.”
In his response, Mr Oramah says Africans need to be daring, to take risks.
“If we don’t take our future in our own hands, we won’t be able to take the opportunities that exist in Africa.”
He suggests to TEF to also test the orientation of their beneficiaries before giving them the grants.
Mr Elumelu says the AfDB supported 1,000 entrepreneurs in 2019, and AFREXIM is planning to get on board.
He says it is important to have an opportunity to try ideas.
He says the Red Cross was the first international partners his foundation had.
“The way to support African entrepreneurs must change.”
He says the Red Cross was known for responding to emergencies but now they have started supporting entrepreneurs.
The second session opens – the presidential session – with a keynote speech by Mr Osinbajo.
The vice president begins by telling inspiring stories of some entrepreneurs who are making a difference across Africa.
He says the stories are just a fraction of what is happening across the continent.
He says school curriculums must also emphasise entrepreneurship and not just science, technology and maths that is currently done.
He says those that always talk about the good old days are probably suffering from memory loss.
“Today the smartphones in the hands of our young people have more power than all the computers in the Apollo that landed the first man on the moon.”
Speaking about the impressive ease of doing business in Rwanda, Mr Kagame says his country looked for ways of doing things differently from what people were used to.
“Development is what we must do, prosperity is what we must achieve.”
He says they were aware of where they were coming from and that helped in entrenching good governance.
Mr Kagame is asked if he would be able to create a political legacy that outlasts him.
Mr Kagame says the “legacy is not me, it’s that belief behind me.”
He says they have managed the mindset of the people and united the country.
He says Rwandans working for themselves and for the country is his greatest legacy.
Mr Sall of Senegal says if Agriculture is modernised, it would engage a lot of African youth.
He says the public sector in Senegal is doing reforms to help fight corruption so there would be an enabling environment for people to come and invest.
Mr Tshisekedi of the DRC says there is a similar initiative in his country and invited Mr Elumelu to participate.
He says he is very proud of the “two sons of Nigeria,”
On the issue of corruption in government in Africa, he says it is a big scourge on the continent.
He says before coming to power, he had been at the forefront of the fight against corruption in his country.
“Corruption is something we fight against in all its ramifications, small and big corruption small corruption is at the level of individuals while big corruption is at the level of institutions.”
He says corruption is slowing down Africa’s economy.
“I am very sure that corruption is one of the ills eating down our place and we have to do everything possible to eradicate it.”
Mr Rugunda, the Ugandan PM, says the programme is laudable because it is promoting pan-Africanism.
On women entrepreneurs, he admitted that women are disadvantaged because of the culture of ownership of land and property.
The experience in Uganda, although women are at a disadvantage, when it comes to business they have excelled over the men.”
He says women entrepreneurs should be given more support to overcome property ownership impediments.
He calls on leaders to be innovative and work with young people.
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Your Presidential Ambition Dead on Arrival, Presidency Mocks Atiku As PDP Stalwarts Defect to APC
The Presidency has delivered a jab at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, declaring his 2027 presidential ambition and coalition-building efforts “dead on arrival” following the defection of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and other top PDP figures to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In separate posts on X, Presidential aides Bayo Onanuga and Tunde Rahman mocked Atiku’s attempts to rally opposition forces, saying recent developments show his coalition is crumbling before it even takes off.
Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, wrote: “Atiku’s political future looks bleak. The coalition that he, El-Rufai, Babachir, and new member Baba-Ahmed are cobbling together has disintegrated. Potential allies, including former running mate Ifeanyi Okowa and defunct CPC members, are giving his leprous group a wide berth. Atiku is a loser again.”
Tunde Rahman, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, posted earlier in the day: “Things are really getting perilous and the future looks so bleak for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s coalition. After the PDP governors washed their hands clean of any such coalition plan, the defunct CPC wing he is also counting on has proffered support for President Tinubu.
Today (Wednesday), he got his biggest shocker ever. His 2023 election running mate, former Delta State governor Ifeanyi Okowa, and Okowa’s successor, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, dumped the sinking PDP ship and hopped aboard the APC plane, and by inference, crossed over to the PBAT side.
Indeed, the counting of PDP governors crossing over to APC has begun. Isn’t Atiku’s coalition dead on arrival?”
The coordinated remarks followed a major political realignment in Delta State, where the governor, his predecessor, former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, and the entire PDP state structure defected to the APC – an event seen as a significant blow to Atiku, who has been working to form a broad opposition alliance against President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.
Okowa was Atiku’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Atiku has yet to respond to the defection or the presidential aides’ comments, though acting national chairman Iliya Damagum earlier described the Delta exit as “unfortunate,” while insisting that the party remains focused and resilient.
The Lagos State Government has disclosed that a staggering 31,596 public school students failed the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), raising alarm across its education sector.
The figures, unveiled by the Lagos Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Tolani Alli-Balogun, during a ministerial press briefing on Thursday in Alausa, Ikeja, showed that 54.3% of the 58,188 students from public schools who sat for the exams failed.
The commissioner said the pass rate was 45.7%.
The failure rate comes despite the government’s significant financial backing — a whopping N1.577 billion was paid on behalf of the students to cover WAEC fees.
“Suffice to say that the sum of N1,577,794,000 (One Billion, Five Hundred and Seventy-Seven Million, Seven Hundred and Ninety-Four Thousand Naira) only was paid by the State Government as examination fees for 58,188 students who were captured for year 2024 WASSCE,” Alli-Balogun announced.
In a bid to tighten accountability and avoid wastage, the Commissioner disclosed that biometric and image registration was carried out to accurately determine eligible students for government sponsorship for the 2025 WASSCE.
“The exercise successfully captured and registered 56,134 students as bona-fide beneficiaries of the Lagos State Government’s sponsorship for the examination,” he added.
However, the Lagos State Government rolled out a bold educational intervention – the Eko Learners’ Support Programme for WASSCE and NECO Candidates – aimed at reversing the tide of academic failure in the state’s public schools.
Launched on January 14, 2025, the initiative is part of a broader commitment by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to equip Lagos students with tools for success.
“This forward-thinking initiative was designed to support and empower young scholars in attestation of the Ministry’s commitment at advancing interest and management of the educational system in Lagos State,” Alli-Balogun stated.
He said with a vision to broadcast 320 lessons across 10 key subjects, including English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Economics, Government, History, Literature-in-English, and Yoruba, the programme aims to bring world-class tutoring directly into students’ homes.
Thw commissioner said each 30-minute episode would air on Lagos Television (LTV) and be archived across major platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter), creating a digital learning library accessible to every student.
“It is a supportive eco-system that fosters academic achievement, creativity, critical thinking… every student deserves the opportunity to attain their full potential, regardless of their background or socio-economic status,” the Commissioner declared passionately.
Alli-Balogun urged students, especially those in boarding schools, to seize this opportunity.
“It is on this note that I urge and encourage students’, more importantly, students in our boarding schools, to take full advantage of this initiative, as education is a lifelong journey,” he said.
Former Governor of Delta State, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential running mate in the 2023 election, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has dumped the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Okowa confirmed the news of his defection to ARISE NEWS on Wednesday following the announcement of the current governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, who also defected from the PDP to the APC on Wednesday.
The development was disclosed by Senator James Manager after a six-hour meeting at Government House, Asaba.
“All PDP members in the state, including the governor, former Governor Okowa, the Speaker, the state party chairman, all the local government chairmen and others, have agreed to move to the APC,” Manager stated. “We cannot continue to be in a sinking boat.”
Delta State Commissioner for Information, Mr Aniagwu Charles, officially confirmed the sweeping political shift, attributing the decision to the need for renewed direction and enhanced governance in the state.
“There is a need for us to adjust our drinking patterns. And in adjusting that drinking pattern, we needed to make a decision that would further help to cement the development in our state,” he said.
Aniagwu added that the move aimed to sustain progress in law, security, and welfare, likening the PDP to a “palm wine whose taste has changed,” necessitating a change in “drinking party”.
He further indicated that the defection was unanimously agreed upon by key PDP leaders and stakeholders in the state, with a formal public declaration expected on Monday.
“By the grace of God, on Monday next week, we will be able to make a very big statement confirming that we are moving into the APC,” he said.
The mass defection represents a dramatic realignment in Delta State’s political landscape and could significantly alter party dynamics in the broader South-South region, historically a PDP stronghold.
Okowa will be received on Monday by Vice President Kashim Shettima alongside Governor Oborevwori.
AriseNews
