It was a weekend that saw thousand emerging entrepreneurs from all over the continent converge at Ota, near Lagos, Nigeria for an entrepreneurship boot camp.

The entrepreneurs who hailed from 51 African countries were selected to be mentored under the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP) Class 2015.

The $100 million commitment by philanthropist Tony Elumelu is aimed at empowering African entrepreneurs.

The entrepreneurs travelled from across the continent – from as far as Madagascar – to interact with successful entrepreneurs, political and business leaders, and to have an open mic session with Mr. Elumelu, the founder of TEEP.

Gambian Badje Modou Lamin, whose business is in the agricultural sector said, “The boot camp has been a great experience. I have been able to exchange ideas with a number of entrepreneurs. This has really changed my perspective on Africa.”

An excited Maalainine Mohamed Bouya, from Morocco also said “The boot camp has been a blast! Right from our journey from the airport down to the boot camp, we have been discussing and sharing ideas among ourselves. Africa has huge potential.”

After the boot camp, the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme will focus on providing the seed capital and support for the entrepreneurs to put into practice the knowledge gained from the bootcamp and the 12 weeks of training carried out prior to the event.

 It will also continue to foster increased collaboration between them and the rest of the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Network as it seeks to promote cross-border trade within the continent. 

The application portal will re-open on January 1, 2016 for emerging entrepreneurs across Africa to compete for places in the TEEP Class of 2016.