Blessing Okwuaku

Nigerian entrepreneur who created Africa's largest female startup incubator

Blessing Okwuaku is the founder of 'She Leads Africa' (Website), a pan-African network that has supported over 20,000 women entrepreneurs since its 2016 launch. Her platform provides training, mentorship, and funding opportunities tailored to Africa's unique business ecosystems, directly contributing to 70% higher success rates for participants compared to industry averages.

Okwuaku's vision emerged from her own experience as a tech entrepreneur in Lagos. Her 2014 startup 'Mommy Africa' faced systemic gender barriers that inspired her to create a systemic solution. She pioneered the '100 Women Impact Challenge', which has awarded $5 million in seed funding to African women-led ventures.

Her work has influenced national policies: Nigeria's 2020 SME Development Policy now mandates gender-disaggregated data tracking. Okwuaku's TED Talk 'The Missing Billion in Africa's Economy' has been viewed over 2 million times. She co-authored 'The Female-Fronted Revolution: How African Women Are Transforming Economies', a blueprint for inclusive entrepreneurship strategies. Partnering with institutions like the African Development Bank (AfDB), her initiatives now operate in 28 countries.