The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) and Google have announced the launch of the Google.org Fellowship, which will provide one million more Africans access to the TEFConnect platform, which connects entrepreneurs with tailored tools, market partnerships, coaches, and investors.
The announcement was made during a TEF headquarters ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria, attended by a number of African political and economic leaders.
This is the first Google.org Fellowship in Africa, and nine full-time Google employees will collaborate with the foundation to design and build an updated version of the TEFConnect platform, including software engineers, UI/UX researchers, and policy experts.
TEFConnect is home to over one million African entrepreneurs and provides small firms with personalized tools, market partnerships, and access to coaches and investors.
“We are pleased to continue to share our unique ability and platform to identify, train, mentor and fund young entrepreneurs across Africa with like-minded institutions like Google.org who share in our commitment to empower young African entrepreneurs. It will be exciting to see the ways in which the refreshed TEFConnect platform will continue to provide a space for growth, personal development, and meaningful exchange for African entrepreneurs,” said the co-founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Dr Awele V Elumelu.
Jen Carter, global head of technology at Google.org, said she was delighted to kick off its first Google.org Fellowship in Africa.
