In 2014, Heirs Holdings Founder and Group Chairman, Tony O. Elumelu, CFR, was invited by the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, to attend the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Tony O. Elumelu delivered the keynote address, sharing his perspectives on the private sector’s role in the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Notably, he was the sole representative from the private sector to speak at the Forum.
He commended the panel for shifting its focus from merely providing basic health and education to the poor, towards prioritising jobs and inclusive growth in the next phase of development. He also highlighted the vital role of job creation and power generation in enhancing the lives of Africans and people worldwide, stressing the importance of making the private sector a full partner in global development—especially in light of the current fiscal limitations on official development assistance.
“A global agenda that intends to address the livelihoods of people and attack extreme poverty is not set up for success if it does not fully engage the sector of society that controls the most capital, employs the most people, and fosters the most innovation,” he said.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) being the main deliberative body of the United Nations, where all 193 member states are represented, provides a forum for countries to discuss global issues, make recommendations on international policies, and foster cooperation on topics like peace, security, development, and human rights. For Africa, it is an opportunity for African leaders to engage in global diplomacy, voice the continent’s concerns, and advocate for issues like economic development, peace, security, climate change, and sustainable growth.
The following year (2015), at the 70th session of the UNGA, the assembly adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address a wide range of global challenges, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice. That same year, Heirs Holdings through its philanthropic arm began the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) Entrepreneurship Programme. This programme pioneered a platform focused on unlocking the potential of African youth by fostering entrepreneurship on the continent, creating jobs, and facilitating economic empowerment.
Since then, Heirs Holdings through its Group Chairman, Senior Executives and its philanthropic arm, the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), has annually used the global stage of the UNGA as an avenue to highlight Africa’s priorities, forge partnerships for socioeconomic development, and influence international policies; an undertaking that has yielded several positive impacts.
Here are some of the highlights so far:
• Last year at UNGA 78, TEF launched its Impact Report, themed “A Decade of Impact” – a compendium of impact stories and data, meticulously documented by independent, expert third-party researchers, which highlighted its flagship $100 million Entrepreneurship Programme and its contribution to the advancement of Africa’s socio-economic development.
• TEF also launched the #BeGreenAfrica Initiative, a first-of-its-kind Green Entrepreneurship Programme designed to address African youth unemployment, in partnership with UNICEF Generation Unlimited (GenU) and IKEA Foundation.
• Other ways through which Heirs Holdings has continued to be a voice for Africa at UNGA include participation at and convening of high-level events such as the Clinton Global Initiative, Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI), TIME 100 event, Forbes Philanthropy Summit, spreading the messages of impact, transformation, and Africapitalism to world leaders at various meetings.
In May 2024, Tony O. Elumelu, CFR, and Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, co-hosted an exclusive discussion in London, spotlighting urgent global challenges like youth unemployment and hunger. This pivotal conversation laid the groundwork for continued dialogue at this year’s UNGA 79, where Mr. Elumelu and Ms. McCain will once again lead discussions, emphasising the critical need for collaboration to tackle global hunger, youth empowerment, and migration.
Focusing on entrepreneurship as a driving force for Africa’s transformation, Mr. Elumelu will highlight how his family’s USD100 million commitment through the Tony Elumelu Foundation is already fostering job creation and eradicating poverty across all 54 African countries.
He alongside other senior executives from the Group will once again join the world’s public and private sector leaders at UNGA, the theme for this year being, “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and the sustainability for all.” They will go with key messages of transformative economic growth, youth employment and equitable energy transition.
Heirs Holdings will continue its advocacy on the global stages of the UNGA, as this provides Africa with the chance to call for reforms in global governance structures to reflect more equitable representation in decision-making processes.