Alitheia Capital says its W.O.M.A.N (Women in Manufacturing, Agribusiness & Nutrition) platform is helping to empower women-led businesses by providing investment, support, and practical tools to scale their operations. The initiative is designed to help female entrepreneurs grow sustainable businesses, strengthen their operations, and contribute more significantly to economic development across Africa.
The platform targets women-led micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in sectors such as manufacturing, agribusiness, and nutrition, helping them become investment-ready while also adopting climate-smart and sustainable business practices.
Speaking during an interview with BusinessDay to mark International Women’s Day 2026, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Alitheia Capital, Tokunboh Ishmael, said the W.O.M.A.N platform was created to close the financing and support gaps faced by women entrepreneurs.
“The W.O.M.A.N (Women in Manufacturing, Agribusiness & Nutrition) platform by Alitheia Capital is designed to support and scale investment-ready, climate-smart women-led MSMEs across key sectors,” Ishmael said.
She explained that beyond providing funding, the platform focuses on equipping women entrepreneurs with the resources and operational guidance required to build resilient businesses that can grow sustainably.
The initiative forms part of Alitheia Capital’s broader strategy of gender-lens investing, a model that prioritises investments in businesses that expand economic opportunities for women as entrepreneurs, employees and consumers.
According to Ishmael, the company’s experience over the years has shown that investing in women-led businesses can deliver both strong financial returns and measurable social impact.
“As the global community celebrates International Women’s Day 2026 under the theme ‘Give to Gain’, our belief remains that the most sustainable gains come from investing capital in underserved, high-potential female entrepreneurs,” she said.
Alitheia Capital, an impact-focused private equity firm founded by Tokunboh Ishmael and Jumoke Akinwunmi, has spent nearly two decades investing in businesses that combine financial performance with social development.
Over the years, the firm has supported companies across sectors including manufacturing, agribusiness, healthcare, fintech and technology-enabled services.
Some of its portfolio companies include Paga, ReelFruit, Psaltry International, Tomato Jos, Seamfix, OmniRetail, Haul247, MAX, Alma Clinics, SKLD Integrated Services, Complete Farmer and Hinckley Recycling.
Through these investments, the firm works closely with companies to strengthen governance structures, improve operational efficiency and expand market opportunities.
Ishmael said the W.O.M.A.N platform plays a key role in ensuring that women entrepreneurs are able to scale their businesses while also integrating inclusive and sustainable practices into their operations.
“Since its launch, the platform has helped participating businesses move beyond being merely ‘gender aware’ to becoming ‘gender strategic’ by embedding intentional equity and inclusion policies directly into their operations and long-term growth strategies,” she explained.
Several businesses participating in the programme have also adopted climate-friendly technologies and operational improvements aimed at improving efficiency and sustainability.
For example, food processing company ReelFruit has transitioned to compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered factory operations as part of efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions.
The company has also expanded its production capacity to 20 metric tonnes per day, launched six new products and achieved significant output growth through operational adjustments that support women workers.
Similarly, agribusiness firm Psaltry International has integrated solar technology into its operations to reduce energy costs and enhance environmental sustainability.
According to Ishmael, the use of solar power has significantly improved the company’s production capacity.
“By Q4 2025, daily solar power supply averaged 18 hours, driving a production surge to 680 metric tonnes for the quarter, significantly higher than the same period the year before, with total output increasing 29 per cent year-on-year,” she said.
Despite these successes, Ishmael acknowledged that women entrepreneurs across Africa continue to face structural barriers, particularly when trying to access capital for business expansion.
She noted that the financing gap for women-led businesses remains a major challenge within the investment ecosystem.
“Like many initiatives aimed at closing systemic gaps, the programme also addresses persistent challenges, particularly the financing gap faced by women-led businesses and the ‘groupthink’ that can sometimes shape traditional capital allocation decisions,” she said.
To address these barriers, Alitheia Capital developed its own Gender Lens Investing toolkit and Gender Spectrum assessment framework to evaluate and strengthen the gender inclusion strategies of participating businesses.
Through this approach, the firm provides more than just capital. It also offers advisory support, operational guidance and policy development support that help businesses grow sustainably and compete effectively in their markets.
Ishmael said the company’s approach reflects a broader shift within Africa’s private equity and venture capital ecosystem toward more inclusive investment models.
According to a 2026 report by the African Private Capital Association, gender diversity within the industry has been gradually improving.
Nearly 39 per cent of venture capital firms and 33 per cent of private equity firms in Africa now have gender-balanced senior management teams.
Women also represent about 44 per cent of the workforce within the industry, 38 per cent of investment professionals and 33 per cent of investment committee members.
These developments reflect a growing recognition among investors that diversity within leadership teams can improve decision-making and investment outcomes.
However, significant gaps remain within the ecosystem.
Only about 5 to 7 per cent of private capital-backed companies in Africa are female-founded, while roughly 11 to 12 per cent are led by female chief executives.
Ishmael said this gap represents both a challenge and an opportunity for investors willing to support women-led businesses.
“Unlocking capital for high-potential women entrepreneurs can drive inclusive economic growth while creating attractive long-term investment returns across Africa’s evolving private capital landscape,” she said.
Beyond financing, the firm is also investing in capacity-building initiatives designed to strengthen the leadership and management capabilities of entrepreneurs.
One of such initiatives is Nzinga, a digital learning and capacity-building platform developed by Alitheia Capital to support African entrepreneurs.
The platform provides practical tools, training programmes, expert guidance and peer support to help business owners navigate the challenges of starting, managing and scaling companies.
According to Ishmael, the platform is already attracting strong interest from entrepreneurs across the continent.
“The platform’s success is already evident, with almost 300 sign-ups from entrepreneurs eager to institutionalise and grow their businesses,” she said.
She added that combining investment capital with continuous learning and capacity-building support helps ensure that women entrepreneurs are not only participating in economic activities but are also leading transformation across key sectors.
For Alitheia Capital, initiatives such as the W.O.M.A.N platform represent a strategic effort to ensure that women-led businesses play a stronger role in shaping Africa’s economic future.
By providing investment, technical support and access to growth opportunities, the firm aims to strengthen the capacity of female entrepreneurs while expanding inclusive economic participation across the continent.
