President, Republic of Gabon, His Excellency Brice Oligui Nguema and Group Chairman, United {Bank} for Africa (UBA), Mr. Tony Elumelu, through the conferment of the Gabonese Highest Nationwide Honour, Commander within the Nationwide Order of Gabonese Advantage’ on Mr Elumelu for his contributions to the Gabonese and African economies, by President Nguema in Libreville on Monday
The President of the Republic of Gabon, His Excellency, Basic Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, has conferred the nation’s honours – the Commander within the Nationwide Order of Gabonese Advantage – on the Group Chairman, United {Bank} for Africa (UBA) Plc and Founding father of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Mr. Tony Elumelu.
The distinguished award recognises Elumelu’s enduring contribution to Africa’s {economic} growth, notably his influence on youth entrepreneurship and infrastructure progress in Gabon and throughout the continent.
Talking on the presidential palace whereas presenting the popularity in Libreville on Monday, Nguema, who was on Saturday sworn in because the newly elected President of the oil-rich nation, praised Elumelu’s dedication to inclusive and sustainable growth in Africa, including that ‘Tony Elumelu just isn’t solely a visionary entrepreneur but in addition a dedicated pal of our nation Gabon. By means of his Foundation and the UBA Group, he has persistently proven that investing in Africa is not only good enterprise – it’s the key to our shared future. At the moment, we honour a person whose actions proceed to empower younger Africans and encourage nations.”
Whereas acknowledging the popularity, Elumelu, who has made a number of high-level visits to Gabon in current months, expressed deep gratitude for the popularity and reaffirmed his dedication to supporting the nation’s growth agenda:
“I’m actually humbled by this honour. It’s a reflection not simply of my private journey, however of a shared perception – that African-led options, African entrepreneurs, and African establishments will form the way forward for this continent. Gabon holds huge potential, and I’m proud that the Tony Elumelu Foundation and UBA Group can play a job in unlocking it,” Elumelu stated.
“That is greater than a medal – it’s a reminder of what we are able to obtain collectively as Africans,” Elumelu said including that, “At UBA and the Tony Elumelu Foundation, we stay dedicated to constructing bridges, not simply between nations, however between ambition and alternative.”
The popularity comes at a vital time for Gabon, because the nation accelerates its {economic} restoration and prioritises inclusive progress below the brand new management.
Elumelu’s engagement focuses on two key pillars of Infrastructure financing which is crucial for long-term {economic} transformation and Youth entrepreneurship, championed by way of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, which provides coaching, mentorship, and $5,000 in non-refundable seed capital to younger Gabonese and African entrepreneurs annually.
The award additionally highlights the strengthening of monetary partnership between Gabon and the UBA, which has a robust presence throughout the continent and is a key driver of monetary inclusion and growth.
Elumelu is the Founder and Chairman of Heirs Holdings, his household owned funding firm dedicated to bettering lives and remodeling Africa, by way of long-term investments in strategic sectors of the African economic system, together with {financial} providers, hospitality, energy, power, expertise and healthcare.
He is the Chairman of pan-African {financial} providers group, the United {Bank} for Africa (UBA), which operates in 20 international locations throughout Africa, the UK, France, the UAE and is the one African {bank} with a business deposit taking presence in the USA. UBA supplies company, business, SME and client banking providers to greater than 35 million prospects globally. He additionally chairs Nigeria’s largest quoted conglomerate, Transcorp whose subsidiaries embody Transcorp Energy, one of many main producers of electrical energy in Nigeria and Transcorp Resorts Plc, Nigeria’s foremost hospitality model.
Tony is essentially the most outstanding champion of entrepreneurship in Africa. In 2010, he created The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), the main philanthropy, empowering a brand new technology of African entrepreneurs, catalysing {economic} progress, driving poverty eradication and driving job creation throughout all 54 African international locations. Since inception, the Foundation’s flagship programme has recognized and catalysed 18,500 entrepreneurs and created a digital ecosystem of over a million Africans, as a part of a ten-year US$100m dedication to fund, mentor and prepare younger Africans.
Tony’s companies and the Foundation are impressed by his {economic} philosophy of Africapitalism, which positions the non-public sector, and most significantly entrepreneurs, because the catalyst for the social and {economic} growth of the African continent.
In 2020, in recognition of his enterprise management and {economic} empowerment of younger African entrepreneurs, Tony was named within the TIME100 Most Influential Folks within the World, and recognised with Belgium’s oldest royal order.
