African women entrepreneurs face systemic barriers to expanding their businesses into large, globally competitive enterprises, according to speakers at the 25th annual conference of Women in Management, Business and Public Service.
At a session titled ‘Where Is Africa’s Female-Led Unicorn, and Why Haven’t We Built It?’, participants identified gaps in business support systems, access to capital, collaboration and enterprise development as constraints to the growth of women-led businesses across the continent.
Managing Partner of Alitheia Capital, Tokunboh Ishmael, said the challenge was not the absence of successful African women entrepreneurs but the lack of systems required to help them scale.
Group Chief Executive Officer of Cray, Olalekan Olude, also stressed the importance of collaboration and understanding the fundamentals of business growth.
The discussions took place at WIMBIZ’s two-day conference held on 5 and 6 November, 2026, in Lagos, under the theme, ‘Rooted, Rising, Ready: Born in Africa, Built for the World.’
The conference brought together business leaders, investors, policymakers and entrepreneurs to examine Africa’s position in the global economy and the opportunities available to women-led enterprises.
Speaking at another session, Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu, called for greater investment in African people and businesses, arguing that the continent must move beyond extracting resources towards creating and retaining more value locally.
He identified manufacturing, power supply, domestic savings and investment as critical areas requiring attention to translate Africa’s resources and youthful population into shared prosperity.
Elumelu also called for improved access to capital for women entrepreneurs, saying their businesses needed the financial support to expand.
Earlier, President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, said Africa must ensure it captures a greater share of the value generated from its resources and economic opportunities.
“The world needs what Africa has; our responsibility is to ensure that as we meet the need, Africa captures most of the value,” he said.
Dangote also urged entrepreneurs to adopt ambitious growth strategies, noting that businesses could not achieve significant expansion without bold thinking.
Other discussions focused on investment opportunities in the green and creative economies.
During a plenary on the green economy, panellists examined opportunities for African women in sustainability-related businesses, including jobs, capital and innovation.
Affiong Williams emphasised that entrepreneurship should begin with solving problems, while Oluyemisi Iranloye advised entrepreneurs to start small, experiment with different approaches and identify commercially viable opportunities.
A separate session on Africa’s $100bn creative economy examined the role of investment and industry collaboration in unlocking opportunities across the sector.
The conference also explored the impact of artificial intelligence on professional development and the future of work.
Founder of Agile Metamor46, Bunmi Adekeye, urged professionals to adopt artificial intelligence intentionally to improve productivity and remain relevant in their industries.
She argued that the greater risk might not be AI replacing jobs but people who understand and use the technology advancing ahead of those who do not.
Participants also debated whether women-led businesses needed funding or mentorship more urgently to achieve growth.
The debate, titled ‘Fund It or Mentor It’, featured Kikelomo Fischer, Adekunle Adebiyi, Yemi Keri and Dr Tewa Onasanya, with Nkem Begho as moderator. Team Fund It emerged victorious.
The conference, which marked WIMBIZ’s 25th anniversary, also featured discussions on wealth creation, leadership, family responsibilities, personal development and business succession.
