Nyanzi eyes tourism fortunes with Elumelu grant
Oct 27, 2016
Nyanzi is one of 63 Ugandans and 1,000 young Africans that will each receive a grant.
Uganda is one of the most highly regarded tourism destinations in the world, having won first place, in a 2012 survey by lonely planet, a reputable publication.
Gradually, such positive reviews have started to generate higher tourist arrivals, something which has attracted a raft of young entrepreneurs like Suzan Nyanzi to the sector.
Nyanzi, a PhD student at Nkumba University, has dreams of running a successful tourism firm, however, her ambition's had been bogged down due to insufficient capital until her business, adroid safaris limited was selected for funding in the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP).
Launched in 2015, TEEP is the largest African philanthropic initiative devoted to entrepreneurship and represents a 10-year, $100 million commitment, to identify and empower 10,000 African entrepreneurs, create a million jobs and add $10 billion in revenues to Africa's economy.
Nyanzi is one of 63 Ugandans and 1,000 young Africans that will each receive a grant of between $5,000 and $10,000 to improve the operations of their small business. The successful candidates represent diverse industries, led by agriculture, ICT and fashion.
(Courtesy photo)
Speaking her ambitions, Nyanzi said: "My business is a start-up and I intend to use the grant to market my business, both online and offline and to generate referrals. I am trying to sign deals with larger companies."
Nyanzi and fellow winners, Isaac Roger Ndawula and Kenneth Tanaziraba are set to travel to Nigeria to network with other winners from around at the TEEP forum between October 27th and October 30th 2016.
The Forum allows entrepreneurs to share and gain knowledge, build cross border partnerships, and connect with investors and policymakers. According to the forum agenda, the first day features plenary panels, masterclasses, TED-style talks and sector specific networking opportunities.
The second day is a policy-led gathering, focused on improving the enabling environment.
A statement from TEEP points out that the Foundation's long-term investment in empowering African entrepreneurs is emblematic of Nigeria billionaire philanthropist Tony Elumelu's philosophy of Africapitalism, which positions Africa's private sector, and most importantly entrepreneurs, as the catalyst for the social and economic development of the continent.