Not much has been heard of Dr Awele Elumelu, the elegant and brilliant wife of Nigerian economist and astute banker, Tony Onyemaechi Elumelu, chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA).
This is because the medical doctor of repute is another silent philanthropist in the Elumelu dynasty.
The English expression, ‘birds of a feather flock together’, best describes Tony and his wife, Awele. One can only say that dragons marry dragons and tigers marry tigers. Tony and Awele are obviously a match made in the Heavens. Together, the power couple has gone from grass to grace.
Unknown to many, Dr. Awele, a trustee of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) is the brain and pivot of the foundation’s unending support for female entrepreneurs in Africa.
For over 10 years, the amazing couple, whose marital journey began in 1993, through the foundation, has empowered thousands of women and men across the 54 African countries, by catalysing economic growth, driving poverty eradication and ensuring job creation. Their commitment stems out of the philosophy of Africapitalism coined by Tony; the ambitious theory that the African private sector has the potential of transforming the African continent.
So far, the foundation has trained, mentored, and funded over 10,898 young African entrepreneurs across all 54 African countries through its entrepreneurship programmes, and has provided capacity-building support, advisory and market linkages to over one million Africans through its digital networking platform, TEFConnect.