The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), Africa’s leading champion of entrepreneurship, has announced the opening of applications for its 2025 entrepreneurship programmes, a statement from the foundation’s website said on Monday.

It said they would receive world-class training, expert mentoring, and non-refundable seed capital funding to upscale their businesses.

It noted that programmes opened for application included the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, Investing in Young Businesses in Africa – Women Entrepreneurship for Africa (IYBA-WE4A) and Aguka Ideation Programme.

“The flagship TEF Entrepreneurship Programme is open to all entrepreneurs across Africa with innovative business ideas or existing businesses not older than five years.

“This year, there is a special emphasis on businesses leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and green initiatives and applicants must be at least 18 years old.

“The IYBA-WE4A Entrepreneurship Programme in partnership with the European Union and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit  is exclusively for women entrepreneurs with green business ideas or existing green businesses in Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, Kenya, Mozambique, Malawi, and Togo.

“The Aguka Ideation Programme is a partnership with the Tony Elumelu Foundation, UNDP Rwanda and the Rwandan Ministry of Youths and Arts to support young Rwandan entrepreneurs between 18 and 30 with business ideas with a seed capital of $3,000,” said the statement

It also detailed that applications were to be submitted through TEF’s proprietary digital hub, TEFConnect.

The statement said that the application which opened on Jan. 1, 2025  would close on March 1, 2025.