The Tony Elumelu Foundation programme is the best-known seed funding opportunity for African entrepreneurs: training, mentoring and seed capital for selected founders in every African country. Competition is intense, and the selection is done largely from the written application and a short business summary — so writing quality matters more than anywhere else.
What selectors reward
- Feasibility — can this business start or grow with the seed amount in your location?
- Market opportunity — a real customer, a real price, a reason they switch to you
- Financial understanding — you know your costs, margins and break-even
- Scalability — a credible path from one town to many
- Leadership potential — the founder’s story, grit and relevant experience
Answering the questions
Write in plain English, with numbers. “I sell 300 crates of eggs a month at ₦4,200 to 14 restaurants in Jos; the seed capital adds a second pen and doubles output” beats three paragraphs about vision. Name the problem, the customer, the current traction and exactly what the money does. Keep every answer within the word limit and never paste placeholders.
A proven preparation routine
Generate a business plan tailored to the programme with the GrantPilot generator (select the TEF listing as the target so the plan speaks to its priorities), run the Readiness Score and rebuild until you pass 90, then use the Application Assistant to draft each application question from the plan. Track the listing so you get reminders — the window opens and closes every year, usually in the first quarter.
Find the current TEF status and similar seed programmes on the Africa grants page.
Put this into practice
Search verified opportunities, score your plan and get deadline reminders — free to start.