The President of the Republic of Gabon, His Excellency General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, has conferred one of the nation’s highest honours the Commander in the National Order of Gabonese Meriton Tony Elumelu, Group Chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc and Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation.
The award, presented at the presidential palace in Libreville, recognizes Elumelu’s outstanding contributions to Africa’s economic progress, particularly through youth entrepreneurship and infrastructure development across the continent, including Gabon.
President Nguema, recently sworn in as Gabon’s new leader, praised Elumelu as a visionary business leader and a devoted ally to the Gabonese nation. “Tony Elumelu is more than an entrepreneur; he is a committed friend of Gabon. His work through UBA and the Tony Elumelu Foundation shows that investing in Africa isn’t just smart business it’s essential for our collective future,” the President said.
In his acceptance speech, Elumelu expressed deep appreciation for the honour, describing it as a symbol of shared commitment to Africa’s transformation. “This recognition is not just about me, but about what we can achieve when we empower African entrepreneurs. Gabon has great potential, and I’m proud that UBA and the Tony Elumelu Foundation are playing a part in unlocking that potential,” he said.
Elumelu added, “This medal represents our collective possibilities. At UBA and TEF, we’re dedicated to bridging the gap between ambition and opportunity across Africa.”
The honour comes at a pivotal moment as Gabon seeks to strengthen its economy under new leadership. Elumelu’s work aligns closely with the country’s development priorities, focusing on two key pillars: infrastructure financing critical for long-term growth—and youth entrepreneurship, supported through the Tony Elumelu Foundation’s annual program which provides training, mentorship, and $5,000 in non-refundable seed capital to young entrepreneurs across Africa.
The award also reflects the deepening financial ties between Gabon and UBA, a pan-African financial institution operating in 20 African countries as well as in the U.K., France, the UAE, and the U.S., serving over 35 million customers globally.
Beyond UBA, Elumelu is the founder and chairman of Heirs Holdings, a family-owned investment group with interests across finance, energy, hospitality, technology, and healthcare. He also chairs Nigeria’s largest publicly listed conglomerate, Transcorp Group, which includes Transcorp Power and Transcorp Hotels Plc.
A prominent proponent of Africapitalism, Elumelu believes that the private sector especially entrepreneurs—must drive Africa’s social and economic transformation. Through the Tony Elumelu Foundation, launched in 2010, he has led a $100 million commitment to empower African entrepreneurs. To date, the foundation has supported over 18,500 entrepreneurs and built a digital network of more than one million across all 54 African countries.
In 2020, Elumelu was named among TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and received Belgium’s oldest royal honour in recognition of his leadership and philanthropic impact.
