It was an honor today to receive the award of Commandeur dans l’ordre national du mérite gabonais (Commander in the National Order of Gabonese Merit) from President Brice Oligui Nguema of the Gabonese Republic.
The recognition was not just personal, it is a testament to the impact of Heirs Holdings – what we call the HH impact, which stretches across our continent and beyond and validates our purpose – to improve lives and transform Africa.
Every day, we live this mission, we celebrate it, we demonstrate it in our businesses and in the lives of the people we touch.
In Gabon, the United Bank for Africa (UBA) has delivered banking services to hundreds of thousands of individuals and businesses since 2009, contributing enormously to financial inclusion and corporate growth. Gabon was the 14th addition to UBA’s African footprint and part of UBA’s unique strategy, creating Africa’s Global Bank – a strategy
founded on the belief that banking should be available to every African.
The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) has supported many young Gabonese entrepreneurs over the last decade, providing seed capital, training, and a pan African platform for their ideas to grow. These entrepreneurs are doing well, contributing jobs and revenue to the economy, and uplifting others out of poverty – creating opportunity,
where often there was none.
Our philosophy, Africapitalism, inspires the vision of an African continent driven by its private sector, delivering economic and social transformation.
I know that President Nguema shares our vision – demonstrated through the productive dialogue and engagement we have had on infrastructure development and entrepreneurship.
Indeed, Africans have the solutions to our challenges, here on the continent, and this begins with good and intentional leadership, and it is inspiring to see how President Nguema’s leadership is driving meaningful transformation in Gabon.
