Businessman and philanthropist Tony Elumelu has described his wife Awele Elumelu as a silent supporter of female entrepreneurs in Africa.
Awele, a medical doctor, is a trustee of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) which provides $5,000 non-refundable seed capital to African entrepreneurs.
Praising her contribution, Elumelu said in an Instagram post on Thursday, “Mrs. TOE, Trustee of @Tonyelumelufoundation. Silent supporter of female Entrepreneurs in Africa. 3,369 young women will each receive $5k non-returnable seed capital as part of the 2021 Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme.”
He added, “This is $16.8m non refundable grant to young African women and makes up over 68% of the total candidates selected this year.
“This year alone, the Tony Elumelu Foundation disbursement is $24.75m to 5,000 African SMEs for #TEF2021 Programme.”
Awele is a leading voice in African healthcare. She is the chairperson of Avon Healthcare Limited, Nigeria’s leading health insurance provider, and the founder/CEO of Avon Medical Practice, a growing network of full-service clinics and onsite facilities with corporate institutions.
She holds a bachelor of medicine, bachelor of surgery degree from the University of Benin. Her experience as a medical doctor includes medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, and emergency medicine. She has worked with the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, and with Grantham and District Hospital Grantham in the United Kingdom.
