Founded | 2010 |
---|---|
Founder | Summy Smart Francis |
Type | Nonprofit organization |
Headquarters | Johannesburg, South Africa |
Area served | Africa |
Members | 12 million |
Key people | Summy Smart Francis (president) Ibada Ahmed (vice president) Folorunsho Alakija (chief matron) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu (chief patron) |
Website | ayeorganization |
Africa's Young Entrepreneurs Organization (A.Y.E.) is the foremost [1] entrepreneurship organization in Africa. A.Y.E unites and empowers entrepreneurs in Africa, by fostering social, intellectual, and financial connections thereby developing a generation of outstanding African entrepreneurs who will shape the economic landscapes of their home countries.
A.Y.E is a non-profit organisation headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa.
A.Y.E launched Africa's Young Entrepreneurs Student's Association (AYESA) in 2015. [2] The organisation spent over $100,000 from internally generated revenue to research and launch AYESA. [3] The inaugural conference of AYESA was held at the University of Lagos in December 2015. It presents young student entrepreneurs in need of experience, knowledge, mentorship and industry business skills with choice mentors from diverse business sectors in Africa. [4]
In 2015, A.Y.E launched an Economic Development Team as part of the effort to improve the economy of African countries. The team works with federal as well as state governments in Africa to improve the growth of the continent. The group also works to facilitate investment opportunity for global entrepreneurs and investors. [5] [6]
Africa's Young Entrepreneurs is the largest network of entrepreneurs in the world per The Guardian (Nigeria). [7]
Neku Atawodi-Edun, formerly Uneku Saliu-Atawodi, is a Nigerian polo player, equine sports scientist, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and investor. She is one of the few black female polo players in the world, and the first to play professionally.
The Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) is an Africa-wide technology entrepreneur training program, seed fund, and incubator headquartered in Accra, Ghana. The three-phased institution was founded in 2008 to provide training, investment, and mentoring for aspiring technology entrepreneurs with the goal of creating globally successful companies that create wealth and jobs locally in Africa.
Pan-Atlantic University is a private, non-profit educational institution in Lekki, Lagos State.
The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) is an African non-profit organization founded in 2010 by Tony O. Elumelu and headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. It is a pioneer member of the Global Impact Investment Rating System (GIIRS). So far, the Foundation has empowered over 18,000 African entrepreneurs across 54 African countries.
Bekeme Masade-Olowola is a Nigerian social entrepreneur, a member of the Board of Directors of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) – the world's leading sustainability impact measurement and reporting standards body – and the Chief Executive of CSR-in-Action, a group made of a consulting firm, a think tank and a training institute dedicated to corporate social responsibility, policy development, advocacy, empowerment and sustainable development in the region.
Africapitalism is the economic philosophy that the African private sector has the power to transform the continent through long-term investments, creating both economic prosperity and social wealth. A think tank tasked with studying the philosophy, the Africapitalism Institute, was formally launched during the 2014 World Economic Forum on Africa in Abuja, Nigeria in May of that year.
Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli is a Nigerian entrepreneur, an expert on African agriculture and nutrition, philanthropy, and social innovation. Since April 2, 2024, she has been serving as the CEO of the One Campaign.
In 1999, the Ministry of Women's Affairs and Poverty Alleviation was established.
Women's Entrepreneurship Day (WED) is a day on which the work of women entrepreneurs is observed and discussed, held every day of each year. The inaugural event was held in New York City at the United Nations, with additional events being held simultaneously in several other countries. 144 nations overall recognized the first WED in 2014, which included the presentation of the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Pioneer Awards. The organization behind WED also has an ambassadorship and fellowship program.
Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji is a Nigerian social entrepreneur and human development expert whose work cuts across entrepreneurship, education, youth development and public leadership. She is the founder and chief executive officer of Rise Networks, a Nigeria-based private and public sector funded Youth Interest social enterprise.
Aim Higher Africa or AHA is a nonprofit organisation operating out of Africa formed in January 2013. The organisation focuses on enriching the standard of education by incorporating the use of information and communications technology in the learning environment, and training and developing young entrepreneurs in Africa to help bridge the gap between poverty and prosperity.
The Nigerian Capital Development Fund (NCDF) is an organization dedicated to impact investing and promoting economic development in Nigeria. Established with the aim of fostering a resilient entrepreneurial ecosystem, NCDF provides essential support, capital, and resources to entrepreneurs, start-ups, and early-stage businesses. The organization's efforts are focused on facilitating job creation, product development, market expansion, and overall economic growth within the country.
Afua Osei is an entrepreneur, investor and public speaker who co-founded She Leads Africa, a media company for millennial African women.
Njideka Françoise Harry is a World Economic Forum Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship Fellow.
Olusola Amusan is a Nigerian social entrepreneur, speaker and youth advocate. He was the leader, Philanthropies and Corporate Social Responsibility at Microsoft Nigeria. He was the 2017-2018 curator for the Global Shapers Community of the World Economic Forum in Lagos. He is known for his work as an Artificial Intelligence Evangelist.
Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata Jnr. also known as CFA is a Nigerian journalist and a former television presenter at Channels TV. He is into digital marketing and known as a technology entrepreneur with focus on business coaching and public speaking. He hosted the first virtual telehealth conference of Nigeria’s telemedicine company, CareClick with the theme ‘The Future Of Healthcare Today’ on 24 September 2020. He was involved in various ICT-related companies that contributed to the development of the Founder Institute. He is known as the founder of Pacer Venture and has links with Climate Action Africa. He is the MD/CEO of Anambra State ICT Agency.
Olalekan Sipasi is a Nigerian farmer, entrepreneur and community development rooter with a focus on Sustainable agriculture practice.
SME100 Africa is a Social Enterprise company located in Ikoyi, a district of Lagos. Founded in 2015 by Charles Odii, it provides a platform empowering young entrepreneurs and small and medium scale enterprise to successfully scale and thrive in Africa.
Osayi Alile is a Nigerian entrepreneur, an executive human development officer, a core professional and published columnist. In the course of her work in various roles, she has been active in entrepreneurship, education, youth development, and public leadership. She currently serves as the chief executive officer of the Aspire Coronation Trust Foundation, also known as ACT Foundation, and the co-administrator of CACOVID. Osayi is a member of the African Leadership Network, The Future Awards Africa, and was the CSR Consultant at Access Bank Plc.
May Ifeoma Nwoye is a Nigerian author and professor of Business administration. She currently serves as Dean, Faculty of Management Sciences, Nile University of Nigeria.