From 26 to 27 July 2019, thousands of young people from each one of the 54 African countries gathered in Abuja, Nigeria, for the 5th Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Forum (TEF FORUM), the largest gathering of African entrepreneurs and the entrepreneurship community. As the Founder of FORAM Initiatives NGO and Chief Executive Officer of Beninnovations Magazine, Olusegun Charles VIDJANNAGNI was officially invited by the Tony Elumelu Foundation as a media partner. While there, he witnessed the unique resourcefulness, creativity and innovation African young women and men are endowed with. The TEF Forum 2019 was held in a peaceful Nigeria three months after the country’s general elections which were marred by political violence. As he watched participants share their ideas while touring the Africa largest entrepreneurial fair, and as he listened to speakers including Head of States, policymakers, business leaders, social workers and inspiring TEF Alumni, it became crystal clear to him that only in peaceful nations could conditions be created for children’s access to education irrespective of their background, and for African youth to be empowered and provided with the right resources so that they are able to unleash their ideas, start new businesses, boost their household income and lift their families out of poverty. Before leaving Nigeria, he gathered some of the TEF Forum participants from ECOWAS countries, discussed with them about the urgency and importance for us young women and men to be in the heart of innovation and the construction of peaceful and resilient societies.
The ‘Road to Peace in West Africa Alliance’ (RPWA) thus emerged as a sustainable platform with the aim to strengthen a regional movement for the culture of peace and collaboration among youth and organisations in ECOWAS member States for stability and security by addressing common drivers of conflicts and violent elections.
COMMUNITY-BASED FUNDRAISING STRATEGY: Transforming the ‘’World Ball’’ into the ‘’World Ball for Peace in West Africa’’
A delegation from Norway paid a courtesy call on President George Manneh Weah at his Foreign Ministry Office on Friday March 23rd, 2018 in Monrovia, Liberia. The aim of the visit was to allow the President to sign on the ‘’World Ball’’ which is used at the ‘’World Ball Tournament’’ to promote peace and development. President Weah welcomed the initiative of signing the ‘’World Ball’’ in an effort to promote peace and development. The President noted that sustainable peace and reconciliation are cardinal aspects of development and the bedrock of true democracy. During the visit, Madam Elizabeth Jacobsen, Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway informed President Weah that the Prime Minister of Norway, Erna Solberg and several other world leaders have signed on the World Ball for national and international development. According to her, as President Weah signs on the ball on behalf of Liberia, it will be taken back to Norway for other world leaders to sign and be used for development. Given the new threats such as election related violence, violent extremism and terrorism in West Africa, we transformed special samples of the World Ball into World Ball for Peace in West Africa and started a regional tour to have them signed so that we also have the signed balls here in Africa. Each signature ships in a minimum of 500 U.S dollars and the signee become a West Africa Messengers of Sustainable Peace and Goodwill Ambassadors (MSPGA).