Philanthropy: Rise and Rise of Tony & Awele Elumelu

In Africa, Tony Onyemaechi Elumelu and his wife, Dr Awele Vivien Elumelu, are going places.
The husband is a Banker, Economist and
Chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA).
The wife is a medical doctor, mother of seven and oversees the healthcare investments of Heirs Holdings.
But, one thing is clear: To the billionaire couple, philanthropy runs in their veins.
And all African countries are feeling the positive effect of their philanthropic and humanitarian zeal to ensure that the continent is liberated from the clutches of poverty.
From North to East, West and Southern Africa, the Elumelus have become the cynosure of all eyes and the elegant Dr. Awele Elumelu has even taken philanthropy to another level by ensuring that female entrepreneurs in Africa are not left behind in the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) Entrepreneurship Programme.
On Instagram and Facebook, it is prayer galore for Dr. Awele Elumelu, who is also the founder and chairperson of Avon Healthcare Limited, an indigenous long chain of clinics and healthcare facilities firm.
This is because she ensured that female entrepreneurs got the lion’s share of the foundation’s annual non-refundable grant to young African entrepreneurs this year.
Of the total beneficiaries of 4,949 and total sum of $24.75 million, about 3,369 young women received $16.8 million which makes up over 68 per cent.
Obviously, she is a role model for career women across Africa because her philanthropic gestures are unmatched.
Because of the couple’s determination, thousands of women and men in Africa are being empowered, leading to eradication of poverty and ensuring job creation.
So far, TEF has trained, mentored and funded over 10,898 young African entrepreneurs through its entrepreneurship programmes, and has provided capacity-building support, advisory and market linkages to over one million Africans through its digital networking platform, TEFConnect.
To Dr. Awele Elumelu, this is just the beginning.