In a room full of Private Equity and Venture Capital stakeholders navigating an increasingly complex investment landscape, Yewande Adewusi, COO & Operating Principal at Alitheia Capital, joined other industry leaders at AVCA 2025’s West Africa Regional Forum with a clear message; in Africa, uncertainty is not an anomaly — it’s the backdrop. Yet, it is within this uncertainty that some of the continent’s most transformative investment opportunities lie.
Speaking on the panel “Emerging Private Capital Opportunities,” Yewande brought her signature blend of realism and optimism to the conversation. She began by addressing the elephant in the room: volatility. From currency devaluations to political headwinds, investors in markets like Nigeria must prepare for disruption — not just survive it. “Assume nothing,” she cautioned. “Volatility cycles are inevitable. Resilience starts with proactive planning, not reactive recovery.”
Her approach is rooted in Alitheia Capital’s philosophy — investing with purpose and precision in businesses that don’t just withstand economic cycles but help communities thrive through them. As co-managers of the Alitheia IDF Fund, the largest gender lens private equity fund in Sub-Saharan Africa, Alitheia Capital has consistently championed businesses led by women or gender smart and those delivering real economic value in underserved markets.
Yewande’s call to deepen local capital markets reflected this ethos. “Africa cannot afford to lean solely on foreign capital,” she noted. Instead, galvanizing local investors and fostering regional financial ecosystems is critical to long-term growth and self-reliance. And while impact — jobs, inclusion, community development — is at the heart of Alitheia’s work, she underscored the importance of delivering strong financial returns to keep capital flowing and scalable.
Looking beyond the usual borders, she encouraged investors to diversify both geographically and sectorally. Francophone West Africa, she noted, offers underexplored but promising terrain. Meanwhile, sectors like agribusiness, clean tech, and circular economy solutions are ripe for investment — and often overlooked in favor of more media-friendly tech plays.
Her most powerful insight came in her appeal for greater intra-regional trade. “We need to break down barriers between Anglophone and Francophone Africa,” she said, pointing to trade as a powerful engine for industrial growth and foreign exchange generation.
Capping her remarks, Yewande shared Alitheia Capital’s next bold move: the Amplify Fund — an initiative that builds on almost two decades of impact investing and adds a sharpened focus on gender, climate resilience and digital transformation. It is an evolution that reflects Alitheia’s commitment to staying ahead of the curve while staying grounded in impact.
In Yewande’s words and vision, the future of private capital in West Africa is not just about chasing returns — it’s about shaping resilient markets, building inclusive economies, and investing in the future of the continent with both head and heart.