Of the 75 founders in the Global Cleantech Innovation Programme (GCIP) Nigeria, 27 are women. Across Africa, under 10% of all the venture funding raised in 2025 was invested in companies with at least one female founder, according to Briter. The report names limited access to investor networks as one barrier. That’s why we’re spotlighting three of them over the coming weeks.

Aishat Adama Adamu, Rèkool
Aishat is the CEO and co-founder of Rèkool, which installs solar-powered cooling units in rural clinics to keep vaccines cold where electricity is unreliable. The company works across Kaduna, Kano, and Borno states. In 2023, Aishat won the Cooling for Healthcare category of the This Is Cool Challenge, a global competition for youth-led sustainable cooling solutions run by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL). That year’s challenge drew more than 200 entries from 50 countries.

Chinenye Ajayi, Solfa Power
Chinenye trained as an energy lawyer. In 2021, she co-founded Solfa Power, which installs solar systems that give homes and businesses electricity without relying on the national grid. The company has worked in more than 30 communities.

Joy Egbe, Newdigit
Joy is co-founder and COO of Newdigit, a Lagos-based company. Its system, called Just Add Water, runs on solar power and supplies health facilities with electricity, medical-grade oxygen, and clean water. The system is being installed in three Lagos hospitals that serve more than 24,000 patients a year. By 2030, the company aims to reach at least 1,000 hospitals across Nigeria. In 2026, Newdigit was one of more than 600 applicants to the Harvard Business School Africa New Venture Competition, a pitch competition for early-stage African startups, and took first prize.

Follow along on the CcHUB blog and LinkedIn for each founder’s story.