By Ebunoluwa Sessou

President of ONE Campaign, Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli, has charged women entrepreneurs to embrace collaboration, strategic leadership, and financial discipline as pathways to sustainable success.

Delivering the keynote address at the 2026 SheFunds Conference in Lagos, Nwuneli described entrepreneurship as “a lonely journey,” regardless of social status or educational background, noting that even those with global exposure face similar challenges.

Drawing from personal experience and industry insights, she introduced the acronym S.O.A.R. as a framework for women seeking to scale their businesses and impact.

According to her, SOAR represents Sisterhood, Ownership, Aspiration and Resilience; she emphasized the critical role of sisterhood, urging women to intentionally build networks of trust and accountability.

She said, that success is rarely achieved in isolation and encouraged participants to surround themselves with three types of women: Critics, who provide honest feedback, Champions, who encourage and uplift and Role models, who offer guidance based on experience.

She also stressed the importance of forgiveness and self-awareness in cultivating strong female alliances, challenging the notion that women are each other’s greatest competitors.

Beyond emotional support, she highlighted the need for structured backing through advisory and governing boards, noting that investors are more likely to fund teams than individuals.

On ownership, Nwuneli called attention to the structural disadvantages women face, particularly in Nigeria, where asset ownership remains disproportionately low among women.

She urged women to take deliberate steps in securing legal and financial ownership of their assets, warning against vague or informal arrangements.

“Ownership is not just about today; it is about generational wealth,” she said, encouraging women to ensure their names are reflected in property, business, and financial documentation.

Nwuneli underscored the need for visionary and differentiated business ideas, cautioning against following trends without innovation.

While acknowledging the availability of global capital, she noted that investors are primarily seeking credible, investable businesses with proven track records.

“People do not just fund ideas; they fund people and their consistency,” she stated, urging entrepreneurs to build credibility and demonstrate execution capacity over time.

Highlighting the unpredictable nature of business environments, Nwuneli described resilience as a non-negotiable trait for entrepreneurs.

She advised business owners to prepare for economic shocks through savings, insurance, and strategic planning.

On relationships, she emphasized authenticity and consistency, urging entrepreneurs to nurture connections beyond transactional needs. “Do not only remember people when you need them,” she cautioned.

Addressing responsibility, Nwuneli cited statistics showing that women own only a fraction of assets and receive minimal financing, despite projections that women could control up to $34 trillion globally by 2030.

Concluding her address, Nwuneli challenged participants to reject limiting realities and embrace transformative change.

“I cannot accept that women still struggle to access funding,” she said. “We must seek the courage and wisdom to change the things we cannot accept.”

She expressed optimism that Nigerian women are positioned to lead a new era of economic empowerment, urging them to take full advantage of platforms like SheFunds.

Convener of the SheFunds Conference, Chichi Eriobu, has said that empowering women entrepreneurs requires more than access to finance, stressing the need to prioritise the wellbeing and capacity of founders.

Speaking on the theme, “Capital, Capacity and Continuity,” Eriobu, said her journey as an entrepreneur inspired the initiative.

“I was first an entrepreneur, so I understand what it means as a female entrepreneur to chase funding. I understand burnout, confusion, and even depression that can come with building a business,” she said.

According to her, years of running her business and mentoring female entrepreneurs revealed that funding alone does not guarantee success.
“Sometimes they have the funding, but they are still struggling. The struggle is not just about the business; it is about them as a person,” she added.

Eriobu explained that the initiative focuses on three key areas: nurturing founders, connecting them to funding opportunities, and providing mentorship to ensure long-term sustainability.

“If we take care of the woman behind the business, she will be able to take care of the business itself,” she said.

She disclosed that even before the conference, SheFunds had begun attracting partnerships and support from stakeholders, with plans already in place for programmes throughout 2026.

“We already have partners who have come on board to support us, and we will be unveiling some of them,” she said, adding that accelerator and simulation programmes have been mapped out for the year.

Beyond funding, she said the conference aims to provide clarity and direction for participants.

“Our expectation is that women will leave here with answers whether one, three, or hundreds of them can say they gained clarity from being here,” she noted, expressing hope that the initiative would become an annual platform.

Also speaking, wealth coach and Lead Coach at Smart City Works, Sola Adesakin, urged entrepreneurs to balance profit with purpose.

“We are in business for profit, but before profit, let us pursue purpose. How are we solving real problems? What are we pioneering?” she queried.

Adesakin emphasised the importance of building sustainable and impactful businesses, noting that collaboration within the ecosystem is key to long-term success.
In her remarks, wife of the Osun State Deputy Governor, Olusola Adewusi, advised entrepreneurs to exercise patience and financial discipline.

“You do not have to spend your capital on luxuries. Allow the business to grow. Save and reinvest so it can thrive,” she said.

Adewusi also encouraged aspiring entrepreneurs to start small, drawing from her personal experience of launching a business with N1,000 and gradually expanding.

“If you can’t start small, it cannot grow,” she said, cautioning against taking loans at the early stages of business.

She further called for increased support for women, particularly in rural communities, through access to equipment and tools that can enable them to become self-reliant.

The SheFunds Conference brings together entrepreneurs, mentors and stakeholders to explore practical pathways for building resilient, sustainable businesses led by women, with a strong emphasis on capital access, capacity development and continuity.