Elumelu, Kirubi receive honours
Two business executives, Messrs Tony Elumelu and Chris Kirubi, have received Lifetime Achievement Awards for leadership and key roles they play as African business champions.
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This was at the 5th edition of the annual Economic Forum of the Ivorian National Council of Employers, CGECI Academy (CGECI) held in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
The Prime Minister of Cote d’Ivoire, Mr Daniel Kablan Duncan, who presented the awards to them, congratulated both African Business Leaders and further stressed that his country had a lot of potential to support the development of entrepreneurship and growth of the private sector.
He enjoined young Ivorian entrepreneurs to come forward with ideas and share them with business champions such as Messrs Elumelu and Kirubi, who have the funding to help, saying: “Mr Elumelu, you are the Pride of Africa.”
Mr Elumelu, who chairs Heirs Holdings, UBA Plc and Transcorp Plc, advocated a collaboration of the private and public sectors to create value in the global competitive business landscape.
He stressed that Africa must encourage champions for economic development. “Development is not an option. No one can develop the African continent but us. We must always remember that no one can rescue us,” he said.
He added that when the private sector operators divorced themselves from the development agenda of the countries in which they operated, everyone suffered.
"The SMEs are the backbone of any economy anywhere in the world and when governments ignore the private sector, the consequences are stark,” Mr Elumelu stated.
For his part, Mr Kirubi motivated the young entrepreneurs saying,“Africa is a comeback kid. The future of Africa is in the hands of the young people.”
Of business influencers who can move the continent towards development he said “we have to open the markets in each others' countries. We cannot be swimming in small pools and call ourselves champions’'.
Since its initiation in 2012 by the Ivorian National council of Employers, the annual economic forum, CGECI Academy, has provided a platform to raise awareness among African entrepreneurs about existing sources of capital and investors available to help grow and develop their businesses.
The forum seeks to change the paradigm of access to finance in Côte d’Ivoire, creating a platform for sharing experiences and expertise.