Adesuwa Okunbo-Rhodes, who started her global banking career at 18, now drives impactful investments as head of Aruwa Capital.She began her finance career at Lehman Brothers, later moving to J.P.Morgan.After identifying a $150bn SME funding gap in Nigeria and Ghana, she returned to Nigeria in 2014.Her firm, Aruwa Capital Management, now manages $80 million and has invested in 16 companies.

She highlights the underrepresentation of women in funding, noting less than 2% of capital goes to female entrepreneurs despite Africa's high rate of women-led businesses.Aruwa Capital started with a $20m fund, grew to $80m, and focuses on SMEs and women-led ventures.She advises founders to articulate problems, show resilience, and build strong governance structures.The firm also helps companies improve finance operations and hiring practices.