For 25 years, the Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ) has championed the advancement of women in leadership, enterprise and public service. Its 25th Annual Conference, however, brought an important question to the forefront: having made significant progress in gaining access to opportunities, how can African women take greater ownership of the industries, businesses and economic systems shaping the continent’s future?
Under the theme of its silver jubilee celebrations, the first day of the conference explored the relationship between visibility, economic participation, ownership and collaboration. More than a celebration of how far women have come, the gathering presented an opportunity to examine what the next 25 years of women’s leadership should look like.
Opening the conference, WIMBIZ Chair, Mrs Ebisan Akisanya, described the organisation as a movement that has spent 25 years inspiring women to lead with courage, authenticity and purpose. This sentiment was reinforced by the conference’s emphasis on collective progress. As women advance professionally and commercially, their influence is strengthened by the knowledge, mentorship, resources and opportunities they make accessible to others.
The conversation took a broader economic dimension during the keynote address by business magnate Aliko Dangote. Drawing on his experience in manufacturing and industrial development, he challenged African businesses to look beyond the exportation of raw materials and pay greater attention to local production and value addition.
His argument was particularly relevant to discussions about women’s economic participation. Africa’s abundance of natural resources presents enormous commercial possibilities, but the greater opportunity lies in developing the industries that process, distribute and transform these resources into finished products. For women entrepreneurs, this means looking beyond traditional business models and identifying opportunities across manufacturing, logistics, agriculture and industrial services.
However, ownership requires more than ambition. Reliable electricity, accessible financing, consistent government policies and functional infrastructure remain important considerations for businesses seeking to scale. Dangote also emphasised the importance of understanding one’s business, maintaining integrity and building the operational capacity required to compete.
These considerations featured prominently in the conference’s discussions on investment and access to capital. During The Capital Room session, delegates examined why the availability of funding does not always translate into financing for women-led businesses. Beyond the funding gap, questions of investor readiness, representation and the ability to present commercially viable business propositions remain significant.
The implication is clear: women must be positioned not only to receive funding but also to influence investment decisions and participate in sectors attracting significant capital. Strong financial records, credible projections, clear business models and an understanding of investor expectations are essential to this process.
Another important conversation centred on the green economy and Africa’s food value chains. The plenary session challenged the perception that opportunities in the green economy are limited to renewable energy and emerging technologies. Agriculture, food processing, storage, distribution, waste management and alternative energy solutions all present opportunities for women to build profitable enterprises.
More importantly, the discussion raised questions about where women sit within these value chains. Rather than remaining concentrated in labour-intensive, low-margin activities, women must have greater access to processing facilities, distribution networks, agricultural inputs and other productive assets that enable them to capture more value.
The conference also explored the importance of strategic partnerships. From building businesses independently to acquiring existing enterprises or collaborating with established organisations, the discussions encouraged women to assess opportunities based on their resources, capabilities and long-term objectives. Collaboration, particularly across borders, was presented as a practical means of accessing expertise, markets and infrastructure that may be difficult to secure independently.
Recognising the achievements of women who have built enduring businesses, the Female Achievers Awards honoured Tara Fela-Durotoye of House of Tara, Kehinde Kamson of Sweet Sensation and Joke Bakare of MedPlus. Their recognition offered a reminder of what sustained enterprise-building can achieve across different industries.
As WIMBIZ celebrates 25 years of advancing women, the conversations from Day One point towards a new measure of progress. Visibility and representation remain important, but the next chapter must also be defined by ownership, investment, industrial participation and the ability to influence economic decisions.
The task ahead is not simply to create more opportunities for women, but to ensure they are equipped to build businesses, control productive assets, access markets and create opportunities for others.
After 25 years of laying the foundations, WIMBIZ has an opportunity to turn its network into an even stronger engine for economic advancement. The next generation of progress will depend on what women build together, what they own and the value they create for the continent.
Because the future of African enterprise must include women not only at the table, but also at the helm.
