Tony Elumelu, the Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, has called upon global leaders to prioritize immediate and fair climate action for Africa at the COP28 – UN Climate Change Conference held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
In a series of events throughout COP28, Elumelu emphasized a crucial message to world leaders: Africa’s voice must be heard, its future is interconnected with the world, and being the most affected yet least contributor to climate change, it demands urgent attention.
Elumelu highlighted the significance of Africa’s youth, representing one-third of the global population later this century. He stressed the need to prioritize the future of Africa’s young, entrepreneurial, ambitious, and resilient population.
Offering the infrastructure and experience of his Foundation’s 10-year $100 million entrepreneurship program to partners, Elumelu aims to catalyze a new generation of African entrepreneurs capable of addressing climate change and driving broader wealth creation. The Elumelu approach, featuring sector-agnostic seed funding, mentoring, and networking, has demonstrated robust impact by reaching and funding young entrepreneurs across Africa.
The annual COP UN Climate Change Conferences bring the world together to assess progress in combating climate change. Elumelu stands as one of Africa’s leading advocates for an equitable climate action agenda, having empowered thousands of green entrepreneurs through the Tony Elumelu Foundation, contributing to a more sustainable future for Africa.
In collaboration with the United Bank for Africa (UBA), the Tony Elumelu Foundation hosted a high-level session at COP28, bringing together Africans and key players from the Gulf, Europe, and the Americas. The session emphasized the urgent need for innovative climate adaptation and mitigation approaches, fostering sustainable development and drawing attention to Africa’s unique position.
Speakers at the event included Dr. Okonjo Iweala, Director-General, World Trade Organization; Ahunna Eziakonwa, Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Africa, UNDP; Kevin Frey, CEO, UNICEF Generation Unlimited; Sergio Pimenta, VP Africa, IFC; Wendy Teleki, Head of the Women Entrepreneurs Financial Initiative, World Bank; Adam Wang-Levine, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Climate; Joseph Nganga, Vice President, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, Rockefeller Foundation; Hassan Al Hashemi, VP International Relations, Dubai Chambers; Serge Ekué, Chairman, West African Development Bank (BOAD); Muyiwa Akinyemi, Deputy Group Managing Director, United Bank for Africa; and Mattias Frumerie, Swedish Climate Ambassador and Head of Delegation, UNFCCC.
Elumelu stressed the urgency of addressing climate change, emphasizing Africa’s vital role in global climate conversations. He expressed his commitment to investing in a generation of green entrepreneurs and extended a hand of partnership for others to benefit from the infrastructure and platform created by the Tony Elumelu Foundation to reach entrepreneurs across Africa.
Elumelu has represented the African private sector at global events such as the 2023 New Global Financing Pact in Paris and the Climate Finance Mobilization Forum in London. At the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA78) in New York, the Tony Elumelu Foundation launched the #BeGreenAfrica Initiative in partnership with the IKEA Foundation, Dutch Government, and UNICEF GenU, focusing on supporting green entrepreneurship and youth development.
During the TEF #COP28 high-level event, Dr. Okonjo Iweala praised the Foundation’s empowerment of young entrepreneurs, emphasizing the importance of green initiatives. Ahunna Eziakonwa, Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Africa, UNDP, commended the Foundation for its leadership and courage in investing in young Africans.
The Tony Elumelu Foundation has partnered with the UNDP on an ambitious project impacting the lives of one million young Africans in the Sahel. Sergio Pimenta, VP, Africa at the IFC, and Kevin Frey, CEO UNICEF Generation Unlimited, lauded the Foundation’s work and expressed excitement about future collaborations.
Wendy Teleki, Head of the Women Entrepreneurs Financial Initiative at the World Bank, announced a new program focused on financing African women entrepreneurs to drive the continent’s green energy transition, expressing interest in collaboration with the Tony Elumelu Foundation.
Mattias Frumerie, Swedish Climate Ambassador, praised the Foundation’s impact across Africa, committing to facilitate connections between the Tony Elumelu Foundation and Swedish embassies across Africa to drive innovation, digitalization, and green-energy transition.
Adam Wang-Levine, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Climate, highlighted the importance of the Foundation’s work in financing and mentorship, expressing excitement about potential partnerships. Muyiwa Akinyemi, Deputy Group Managing Director, United Bank for Africa, announced a partnership with Afrexim Bank to launch a $6 billion fund for SMEs focused on import substitution, including climate emission reduction.
In earlier sessions, Tony Elumelu joined a panel of global leaders in a session titled “Big, Audacious and Green: A Convergence of Visionaries” and participated in a fireside conversation with Ms. Teresa Ribera, Vice President of the Government of Spain, moderated by Sec. Hillary Rodham Clinton, with closing remarks from Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization.