Tony Elumelu fund backs 1k women
More than 1,000 women entrepreneurs across eight African countries, including Uganda, will receive support through the Women Entrepreneurship for Africa (WE4A) program. The initiative will provide each of the 1,049 selected participants with a USD 5,000 grant, equivalent to about UGX 18 million, along with training, mentorship, and business development services.
The USD 5.25 million program is led by the Tony Elumelu Foundation in partnership with the European Union, the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. It operates in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal, Cameroon, and Togo. Applicants must run or plan businesses that advance environmental sustainability. Applications are open from October 6, 2025, to January 25, 2026, at tefconnect.com.
Since 2015, the foundation has trained over 2.5 million Africans and directly funded 24,000 entrepreneurs, including more than 1,176 in Uganda. Past beneficiaries, such as Jane Francis Awuma, who used her grant to mechanize feed production, say the support transformed their businesses. Faith Kwera, President of TEF Uganda, and officials from United Bank for Africa Uganda encouraged women to apply, calling the opportunity a catalyst for economic empowerment and sustainable growth.
