Women-led startups in Nigeria are raising the bar for success in the male-dominated industry. Armed with innovative ideas, the founders of these startups are making an impact in the industry and becoming catalysts for change. Join us as we feature 5 Women entrepreneurs from Nigeria who are running scalable firms on their shoulders.

Undoubtedly, women entrepreneurs in Nigeria are ushering in a new era of women-led growth and innovation. The country has been making major strides in building an inclusive business landscape. Having $253 billion as the GDP in 2024 (IMF forecast), Nigeria holds 40 percent of businesses that are owned by females, as reported by National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in 2023.

Establishing businesses in diverse sectors, these female entrepreneurs/owners have positioned Nigeria amongst the countries with the highest number of entrepreneurs in the world i.e., more than 23 million women entrepreneurs, in the year 2021.

Prof. Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman, EVC, of the Nigeria Communication Commission, NCC stated, “Although Nigerian women accounted for 41 percent ownership of micro business in Nigeria, with over 23 million female entrepreneurs making Nigeria amongst the highest entrepreneurs globally, there is still insufficient real economic empowerment and inclusion of women across the real sector of the economy.”

Despite facing challenges, women entrepreneurs in Nigeria are soldiering on. Saluting their spirit and talent, we move the spotlight on young and upcoming female business owners from the country. Global Woman Leader highlights five such startups that are founded/co-founded by women and are scaling-up at a steady pace.

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