At the Providus Bank Regal International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration, Yewande Adewusi, COO & Operating Principal, Alitheia Capital delivered the keynote address that left the audience energized, inspired, and ready to take action.
In her keynote, Yewande shared a powerful vision: the future of Africa’s prosperity lies not in charity, but in impact investing — smart, deliberate investments that empower women and communities to drive real economic change.
Drawing from her personal experience and work at Alitheia Capital, Yewande told moving stories of transformation. From her mother’s entrepreneurial journey to the impact of our portfolio company founders such as Yemisi Iranloye of Psaltry International Limited and Affiong Williams of ReelFruit, it is clear that women are the key to unlocking Africa’s economic potential.
- Psaltry International, which began as a small enterprise in 2012, now empowers over 5,200 women farmers and supplies high-grade cassava starch and sorbitol to global brands like Nestlé, Cadbury, Pepsico and more.
- Real Fruit, Nigeria’s first premium dried fruit brand, now available in Walmart and ten countries, grew from processing two tons to twenty tons of fruit weekly, impacting 1,200 female farmers.
Yewande emphasized that charity—while well-meaning—often leads to dependency and stagnant solutions. In contrast, impact investing creates sustainable businesses, quality jobs, and market-driven transformation.
“Africa won’t be built by aid, but by investment,” she stated.
Highlighting key statistics, Yewande noted that although women globally control over $72 trillion in wealth, only one in ten African ultra-high-net-worth individuals is a woman. Yet, women reinvest 90% of their income into their families and communities—making women-centered investing not just moral, but economically smart.
She urged attendees to:
- Allocate a percentage of their investment portfolios toward impact investments.
- Choose sectors aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) they are passionate about, such as job creation or clean energy.
- Focus on building scalable businesses with strong governance and purpose.
Yewande also highlighted how gender lens and gender smart investing (investing in businesses owned by women, employing women, or serving women) yields higher returns—supported by McKinsey studies showing 20% higher ROIs for diverse leadership teams.
She left the audience with a resonant call-to-action:
“Africa’s women are not building hobbies; they are building businesses. Let’s redefine wealth—not by what we accumulate, but by what we create.”
The discussions reaffirmed one core message: Wealth should be a force for good. By prioritizing impact over charity, we create sustainable solutions that drive economic empowerment, gender inclusion, and long-term prosperity.