Women Founders
Despite a multi-billion-dollar financing gap, African women entrepreneurs are building companies that are reshaping industries, attracting investment and accelerating inclusive economic growth.
African women are playing an increasingly important role in shaping the continent’s economic future, building businesses that are transforming healthcare, finance, agriculture, manufacturing and technology while creating thousands of jobs and attracting international investment. Despite persistent challenges in accessing finance, women entrepreneurs continue to demonstrate that inclusive enterprise is becoming one of Africa’s strongest drivers of innovation and sustainable growth.
Their contribution comes at a time when African economies are placing greater emphasis on industrialisation, regional trade and private sector development. According to the African Development Bank, women own nearly one-third of Africa’s formal small and medium-sized enterprises and represent approximately 58 per cent of the continent’s self-employed population. Yet women-led businesses continue to face an estimated US$42 billion financing gap, a constraint the Bank says limits business expansion, job creation and broader economic development.
Nigeria’s Temie Giwa-Tubosun is among the entrepreneurs demonstrating what becomes possible when innovation meets purpose. After founding LifeBank in 2016 to address critical shortages of blood and medical supplies in hospitals, the company has grown into one of Africa’s leading health technology firms, operating in Nigeria, Kenya and Ethiopia. LifeBank has delivered more than two million units of blood, oxygen and essential medical products, strengthening emergency healthcare systems and reducing preventable deaths. Her work has earned international recognition from the World Economic Forum, Forbes, Fortune and the BBC.
In Kenya, Beth Koigi has built Majik Water, a climate technology company that produces clean drinking water from moisture in the air. Her innovation is helping communities facing water shortages while demonstrating how African startups are developing commercially viable solutions to global environmental challenges. The company has received international recognition for advancing sustainable technology and water security.
Cameroonian entrepreneur Rebecca Enonchong has established one of Africa’s most successful enterprise software companies through AppsTech, which serves clients in more than 40 countries. Beyond growing a global technology business, she has become one of the continent’s strongest advocates for digital entrepreneurship, mentoring startups and championing policies that strengthen Africa’s innovation ecosystem.
Senegal’s Magatte Wade has spent much of her career promoting African manufacturing through businesses that source ingredients from the continent while advocating for policies that encourage industrialisation and private sector growth. Her work has helped elevate discussions around the global competitiveness of African-made products and the importance of building value chains within Africa.
These entrepreneurs reflect a wider trend emerging across the continent. From pharmaceutical manufacturing in Rwanda and agribusiness in Ghana to fintech in Nigeria and renewable energy innovation in Kenya, women-led businesses are expanding into sectors that are central to Africa’s long-term economic transformation. Their success is reinforcing growing calls from development institutions for greater investment in women-owned enterprises, recognising that expanding access to finance could unlock significant economic growth across the continent.
As Africa pursues the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, women entrepreneurs are expected to play an increasingly important role in building competitive industries, strengthening regional value chains and creating opportunities for the continent’s rapidly growing youth population.
Recognising the importance of these conversations, the New Africa Youth Economic Summit & Honours 2026, themed “Building Africa’s Future Through Innovation, AI, Youth Enterprise & Strategic Partnerships,” will convene policymakers, investors, business leaders, innovators and development partners to explore practical solutions for accelerating inclusive economic growth and industrial development.
The New Africa Group invites corporate organisations, development partners, financial institutions and strategic investors to partner with the summit in supporting Africa’s next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators. Strengthening women-led enterprises is not only an investment in gender equality but also in the continent’s economic resilience, competitiveness and long-term prosperity.
Register: https://forms.gle/9AzcoyauvZnaJpmZ6
TNAM
By Egwu Patience Nnennaya
Tuesday July 28th, 2026.
