ANTHONY EMEKA NWOSU
Aruwa Capital Management has reaffirmed its commitment to gender-lens investing following a recent visit by senior representatives from the British International Investment (BII) network to its office in Nigeria.
The meeting brought together Aruwa Capital Managing Partner, Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes, alongside BII Nigeria Coverage Lead Adeola Ukoha and Katrina Kwan. The visit formed part of preparations ahead of a Gender Lens Investing training programme organized by British International Investment for its ecosystem of funds and partners.
During the engagement, Aruwa Capital Management shared insights from its investment strategy focused on women-led and women-focused enterprises across Nigeria and Ghana. The firm emphasized that its approach integrates a deliberate gender lens across its portfolio construction and investment decisions.
According to data shared by the firm, it has invested in 16 companies since inception, with approximately 70% being female-founded or female-led. Aruwa Capital reported that these investments have, on average, delivered 26-fold revenue growth and a seven-fold valuation increase in subsequent funding rounds following initial investment.
The firm argues that these outcomes demonstrate that investing in women-led businesses is not only an impact-driven strategy but also a commercially viable approach capable of generating strong financial returns.
Aruwa Capital also noted that its continued collaboration with BII has been instrumental in advancing its gender-focused investment mandate, particularly through support for Aruwa Fund II.
The engagement highlights the growing prominence of Gender Lens Investing within Africa’s private capital ecosystem, as institutional investors increasingly examine how gender-focused strategies can drive both social and financial performance.
