Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Deadline: March 1, 2026
The Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP) 2026 is one of Africa’s most impactful entrepreneurship initiatives, designed to empower young African business founders with the training, mentorship, and seed funding needed to grow their ventures. Launched to ignite the entrepreneurial ecosystem across the continent, TEEP focuses on scalable startups and early-stage businesses that aim to drive economic growth, create jobs, and foster innovation in diverse sectors such as technology, agriculture, health, education, and creative industries. The programme is part of the Tony Elumelu Foundation’s broader vision to unleash Africa’s next generation of business leaders.
Benefits
Participants accepted into TEEP 2026 gain access to a rich package of support, including:
- $5,000 in seed capital — non-repayable funds to help launch, scale, or operationalize key elements of the business.
- 12 weeks of intensive online training covering business fundamentals, strategy, finance, branding, sales, and pitch development.
- Dedicated mentorship from seasoned entrepreneurs, industry experts, and business executives who guide founders through strategic decision-making.
- Access to a Pan-African network of fellow entrepreneurs, investors, partners, and alumni.
- Visibility and recognition within the continent’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
- Opportunity to participate in regional events, showcases, and demo days where founders can pitch to potential investors and partners.
These benefits prepare founders not only for early success but also for long-term sustainability and scale.
SEE ALSO: Mastercard Foundation / University of Cambridge Climate Resilience and Sustainability Research Fund
Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme 2026, applicants generally must:
- Be citizens or residents of an African country.
- Be between 18 and 40 years old (specific age criteria may vary by application cycle).
- Lead or co-found a for-profit business or have a clearly formulated business idea with commercial potential.
- Demonstrate commitment to building a sustainable enterprise that can generate jobs and impact communities.
- Be willing to participate fully in all training, mentoring, and reporting requirements of the programme.
The programme welcomes entrepreneurs across all sectors, from tech and agribusiness to fashion, health, renewable energy, and creative industries.
Application process and documents required
The Programme, Participation & Disqualification
1. The Programme is made up of the following stages all of which form the Programme cycle:
Application Process
2. Successful Applicants are those Applicants who complete the Application form, attain the minimum application score requirements and are accepted into the Programme.
3. Successful applicants will be enrolled into the TEF Business Management Training programme.
4. Unsuccessful Applicants will be directed to take the TEF General Business Training on TEFConnect and will be eligible to reapply for other TEF Programmes.
Verification & Onboarding
5. Applicants will be verified and onboarded by the Promoter. Verification will involve the submission of required documents by the Applicant in order to enable the Promoter to ascertain the state of the Business or Business idea as well as the identity of the applicant.
6. Successful Applicants who do not meet the verification requirements will be removed from the Programme and notified of removal via email.
7. Programme Participants are not allowed to designate their Business Partners to undertake any part of the Programme. All trainings, tasks and activities to be undertaken under the Programme shall be carried out by only the Programme Participants. However, Programme Participants may share the training points with their business partners to institutionalise the training for the success of the Business or the Business Idea.
8. During the TEF Business Management Training Programme™ Participants’ progress will be tracked and assessed. The training shall be made available in English, French, Portuguese, and Arabic.
9. Upon completion of the last week of the TEF Business Management Training Programme Participants will be assessed, and top scoring Programme Participants will be notified via email that they will be proceeding to the Business Plan preparation stage.
10. Programme Participants who do not complete this stage or do not proceed beyond this stage of the Programme will be removed from the Programme and be notified via email.
Business Training
11. Once Successful Applicants are onboarded, they will proceed to the training stage and are granted access to undertake the Foundation’s proprietary TEF Business Management Training Programme™ .
Business Plan Preparation & Submission
12. Programme Participants who have been onboarded to the TEF Business Management Training Programme will receive a business plan template to develop a business plan document for review and assessment. This review and assessment will be based on relevant metrics including feasibility and sustainability. Programme Participants must submit their Business Plans by the required deadline to be eligible for consideration for the next stage of the programme.
13. The top scoring Programme Participants from this stage will be notified via email and will proceed to the Pitching Competition stage.
14. Any Programme Participant who does not complete this stage of the Programme or is not successful at this stage will be removed from the Programme and notified of removal via email.
Pitching Competition
15. Top scoring Programme Participants shortlisted from the business plan stage will participate in the Pitching Competition where they will pitch their business plans to a panel of judges or submit their pitch videos to the Promoter.
16. Top scoring Programme Participants from the Pitching Competition will be selected based on a predetermined selection criteria and will be eligible to receive the Seed Capital.
17. Programme Participants who are not selected from the Pitching Competition to receive the Seed Capital will be notified via email and will be categorised as TEF Trainees.
18. Any Programme Participant who does not complete this stage of the Programme will be removed from the Programme and notified of removal via email.
Seed Capital
19. The Selected Entrepreneurs from the Pitching Competition will be notified via email.
20. Disbursement of the Seed Capital will be made via electronic transfer into the Selected Entrepreneurs’ Business Bank Account. Banking and other charges may apply and shall not be borne by the Foundation. The total amount received may therefore be less than US$5,000 equivalent. TEF Partner funded entrepreneurs will receive seed capital in line with the partner commitments and this will be communicated in due course to Programme Participants who will be funded by partners.
21. The disbursement of the Seed Capital will be by payment into the Selected Entrepreneurs
Deadline: Submit your application by 1st March 2026.
