Peter Uzoho
The
founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) and Chairman, United Bank
for Africa (UBA) and Heirs Holdings, Mr. Tony Elumelu, has advised
French investors to look to Africa for
long term investment
opportunities.
He said
this at the “Ambition Africa,” conference organised by the France Invest
Africa Club in Paris, where he delivered the opening address.
He told his audience to, “do much better and be much smarter in channeling funds to emerging markets.”
“These
markets present huge opportunities – as well as risks for investors, but
investors need to fulfil a critical need to catalyse and improve the
economy. We salute companies like Total, Bouygues, Accor, Orange, and
Bolloré as well as others who have accepted this challenge, but there is
room for many more” he added.
Elumelu,
stressed the importance of private equity inflow into Africa, with a
focus on investing in small and medium scale businesses, the lifeblood
of the African economy.
He
stated that Africa has the youngest workforce in the world, with over 60
per cent of its population below the age of 25. This, he said was a
potential demographic doom that could be turned around to become the
continent’s greatest asset if the youths have jobs and economic
opportunities.
According
to him: “Africans do not need aid. Rather, our young people need
investments. Private equity is a force for positive development in
Africa. We have a large youth population, who are eager and innovative.
“They
are looking at solutions to problems in their communities but are
hampered by the access to capital and investment, mentoring and
training. When done right, this kind of investment can bring not just
capital but can also strengthen job creation, corporate governance and
help improve sustainable business practices.”
Furthermore,
he cited the impact and growth rate of the beneficiaries of the Tony
Elumelu Foundation (TEF) as evidence of the potential of SMEs in Africa
today.
The TEF has endowed $100 million dollars of his family wealth, to fund over 10000 African entrepreneurs in ten years.
A
statement, quoted Elumelu to have also commended the French President,
Emmanuel Macron’s initiatives for strengthening the relationship between
France and Africa and concluded by inviting investors to consider
investing in Africa for the long term.
“The
key phrase here is long term investment – no one should come to Africa
for short term gain. The time is now to invest in Africa. Private equity
has to be part of it. We need it for all,” he added.
Earlier,
the French Minister of Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire, who
introduced Elumelu to the audience, said that France could position
itself and direct investment towards Africa to end the cycle of poverty
and to accelerate development globally.
He commended Elumelu’s stance on strengthening the SMEs in Africa to catalyse development.
“We
share the same ambition in Supporting African SMEs and entrepreneurs as
this is essential for the economic development of Africa,” he said,
referring to Elumelu’s passion to create wealth on the African
continent.
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