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By Chinenye Anuforo
Technology and legal empowerment are emerging as critical forces reshaping the future of women-led businesses in Africa, according to insights from industry leaders at the 2026 West Africa Women in Business Summit.
Speakers at the event highlighted how the combination of digital tools, structured legal systems, and access to capital is enabling a new generation of female entrepreneurs to move beyond survival-driven ventures into scalable, globally competitive enterprises.
Presenting on “Resilience in Action: Legal Empowerment as a Catalyst for Women’s Economic Growth,” legal expert Perenami Momodu stressed that while women across Africa are building businesses at record levels, structural and legal gaps continue to limit their ability to scale.
“Women are already building significant enterprises across this continent,” she noted. “The real question is whether we are building with the legal and structural intelligence that transforms businesses into lasting institutions.”
Data shared at the summit showed that nearly one in four women in Africa runs a business, yet access to funding remains deeply unequal. Of the $289 billion invested globally in venture capital in 2024, only 2.3 percent went to women-only founding teams. In Africa, that figure drops further to just 0.9 percent.
Experts say this gap is compounded by how women finance their businesses—often relying on personal savings and informal networks, unlike their male counterparts who are more likely to access institutional funding such as venture capital and private equity.
However, technology is increasingly being positioned as the equaliser.
In a separate presentation titled “Smart Tools for Smart Growth,” Kehinde Senu Ogunlare of Zoho Corporation outlined how integrated digital platforms are helping women entrepreneurs overcome operational inefficiencies and scale sustainably.
“Technology should remove complexity, not create it,” Ogunlare said. “When women have access to the right tools, they don’t just build businesses, they build ecosystems.”
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According to Zoho, modern enterprises require integrated systems that connect operations, finance, customer engagement, and people management. Many small businesses still rely on fragmented tools such as spreadsheets and messaging apps, leading to inefficiencies, poor visibility, and slow decision-making.
The company noted that its ecosystem of over 55 integrated applications, used by more than 100 million users globally, is designed to help businesses transition from manual processes to automated, data-driven operations.
Industry examples presented at the summit including health-tech platform LifeBank and fintech firm PiggyVest demonstrated how women-led businesses are leveraging digital infrastructure to scale rapidly and attract investment.
Yet, speakers warned that technology alone is not enough.
Case studies such as HealthPlus and Famfa Oil revealed how weak legal structures, poor contract negotiation, and governance lapses can undermine even the most promising ventures. Issues such as ownership dilution, lack of due diligence, and inadequate regulatory compliance were identified as recurring risks.
To address these challenges, experts outlined three critical pillars for scaling successfully: strong legal structures, watertight contracts, and regulatory awareness, alongside the adoption of digital tools.
They also emphasised the importance of strategic negotiation and institutional thinking. Founders were advised to build systems that outlast them, separate personal and business assets, and approach investment deals with clear exit strategies.
Beyond operations, digital platforms are also transforming workforce management and customer engagement. Tools for HR automation, collaboration, customer relationship management, and analytics are enabling businesses to improve service delivery, reduce errors, and reclaim time for strategic growth.
“Scaling a business requires infrastructure, not just ambition,” Ogunlare added, pointing to the need for entrepreneurs to adopt technology deliberately and build resilient systems from the outset.
The broader message from the summit was clear: Africa’s next wave of economic growth will be driven by entrepreneurs who combine innovation with structure.
With women representing one of the continent’s largest untapped economic forces, stakeholders say the intersection of technology, capital, and legal empowerment will determine how far and how fast they can scale.
As Momodu concluded, the shift must move from simply building businesses to building institutions: “Build with brilliance. Build with strategy. Build with structure.”
