Sierra Leonean President Bio, Elumelu rally West African private sector to turn regional potential into investment, jobs
“This is consistent with our aspirations to create jobs for our young people,” Mr Elumelu said. The post Sierra Leonean President Bio, Elumelu rally West African private sector to turn regional potential into…
Tony Elumelu, chairman of Heirs Holdings and the United Bank for Africa, has positioned himself as one of Africa's most vocal champions of "Africapitalism" — the idea that the continent's private sector, not aid, should drive long-term development, job creation and industrialisation. His Tony Elumelu Foundation has for years funded young African entrepreneurs, and he regularly convenes business and political leaders to push for deeper intra-African trade and investment, particularly under frameworks like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
This latest push, bringing together Elumelu and Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio as co-chairs, centres on an advisory board meeting ahead of an inaugural West Africa Integration and Investment Summit. The coverage across outlets agrees on the core message: regional leaders and financiers are being urged to move from stating intentions to mobilising actual capital for projects that can generate jobs for West Africa's large youth population. What remains unclear from the reports is the scale of capital being targeted, which specific sectors or countries stand to benefit first, and what concrete commitments, if any, emerged beyond the rallying rhetoric.