I TESTIFY-TEF

A CASE STUDY OF THE TONY ELUMELU FOUNDATION’S IMPACTS ON AFRICAN ENTREPRENEURS & THE LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY OF DR. TONY O. ELUMELU (GFR)

De: DR. AMOS OBI

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

WHY THE PROJECT – “I TESTIFY TEF”

The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) and the Man Behind Africa’s Foremost Entrepreneurship Movement

Dr. Tony Elumelu is more than a name; he is a phenomenon in African entrepreneurship. There’s a popular aphorism that says:
“History made but not written is like a sweet dinner eaten in a dream.”
And just as “the mushroom cannot forget the dead tree trunk on which it grew,” we, too, cannot cross a river without remembering the mud that carried us through.

For me, the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) represents that mud—an unforgettable part of my journey and destiny. It is a story I cannot tell without acknowledging the immense impact TEF has had on my life, my business, and my mission.

Before TEF: A VISION STUCKED IN PLACE
Before I encountered the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme in 2018, I was at a crossroads.

My life-changing social business—the HETAVED Skills Academy and Network, conceived as far back as the year 2000—was struggling. Lack of startup capital threatened its existence. For years, the idea lived only in my heart, unable to take off.

In 2016 and 2017, I applied to the TEF Programme… and I was rejected.

But like every true entrepreneur, I didn’t stop. Instead, the rejections pushed me back to the drawing board. I worked harder to strengthen the foundation of my business model.

THE TURNING POINT
Before applying again in 2018, I upgraded everything:
• Secured my official government licenses
• Completed CAC registration
• Obtained a patent for my invention – The HETAVED Organic Floating Fish Feeds
• Improved my feasibility studies
• Strengthened my online presence

With these improvements, I reapplied for the TEF Programme in 2018—and this time, I was selected.

What followed was a transformative six-month entrepreneurial training and mentorship journey. That training changed everything. It equipped me with the knowledge, confidence, networks, and tools needed to launch and thrive.

AFTER TEF: GROWTH, EXPANSION AND IMPACTS

Today, I stand as a proud TEF Mentor, Trainer, and Consultant, and the impact of the TEF Programme remains deeply rooted in every success story I tell.

From the $5,000 seed capital I received in 2018, I have grown an ecosystem of enterprises, including:

A. HETAVED Skills Academy

B. HETAVED Skills Network International

C. Mini Global HETAVED Skills Ltd.

D. The HETAVED Farmacy

Each of these has become a platform for training, impact, empowerment, and innovation.

Our journey has moved from local beginnings to global recognition, now celebrated as a:
• Global STI Leader
• TVET Champion
• Gender-Friendly Institution
• Digital Game Changer
• EdTech4SD solution provider
• Meaningful Business Innovator for the UN SDGs

And this is only the beginning.

What Comes Next – Part 2

In Part 2 of this series, I will share the untold story of:
• The struggles
• The failures
• The setbacks
• And how we rose from a small local startup to a globally recognized organization

If you’d like the full story immediately, you can access my book:

I TESTIFY – The Extraordinary Impacts of the Tony Elumelu Foundation and the Man Behind the Scene, Dr. Tony Elumelu

Available on Amazon Kindle:
👉 https://www.amazon.com/author/amosobi

Or request the soft copy via WhatsApp:
📱 [phone]

Thank you for reading.
See you in Part B of “WHY THE PROJECT – I TESTIFY.”

For More Resources:

Visit: https://balancedlivingacademy.blogspot.com