AFARA launches an Africa wide accelerator in Lagos to build bankable Women-Led Energy Projects
CHIGOZIE AMADI
A new accelerator targeting Africa’s chronic underinvestment in women-led infrastructure has launched in Lagos, aiming to mobilize $1 billion and scale 50 female-owned energy and infrastructure businesses in five years.
AFARA, unveiled at the AFARA Africa Accelerator Immersive Launch Event at the J. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture & History , will support female founders from feasibility through to financial close.
The program is the brainchild of Dolapo Kukoyi, an energy and infrastructure strategist (with over 20 years experience)who said the continent cannot close its infrastructure deficit without women at the table.
“Africa cannot wait. The continent faces a $2.5 trillion infrastructure deficit. We cannot close it without unlocking ALL of our human capital — especially women,” Kukoyi told founders, investors, policymakers, and ecosystem partners at the launch.
According to her , AFARA was created to tackle a funding gap that sees just 3% of infrastructure capital in Africa go to women-led ventures, and less than 1% of infrastructure project finance reach female founders. The consequences are measurable: 600 million Africans lack electricity, infrastructure deficits shave 2–4% off GDP growth annually, and 75% of projects fail to reach financial close.
She explained that women, who make up only 6% of registered business owners in Sub-Saharan Africa and hold less than 1% of large-scale energy project ownership, bear the brunt of energy poverty and limited access to services.
“When women lead infrastructure projects, communities see 30% better outcomes in service delivery, utilization and sustainability,” Kukoyi said. “Yet the system was not built to include us.”
She noted that AFARA’s model centers on a flagship annual accelerator selecting 10 female entrepreneurs each year. Participants receive a Strategic Growth Plan, Investment Readiness Pack, investor-ready pitch deck, and organized data room, alongside mentorship and visibility support.
For this year ,she announced that the accelerator will focus on gas and power, renewables, clean energy access, transport and logistics, and digital infrastructure. ‘’It will also, support greenfield projects, brownfield scale-ups, acquisitions, concessions, and divestments with proprietary or innovative components,
She empasised that the goal is to enable, support, and scale 50 female-owned businesses over five years, building a pipeline of entrepreneurs driving clean energy, sustainable infrastructure, and climate action.
Speaking on the meaning of her accelerator name AFARA, she explained that the name comes from the Yoruba word for “bridge.” . Kukoyi also, said the program is designed to bridge the gap between aspiration and execution for African female infrapreneurs. “Two decades structuring energy and infrastructure deals, I saw the same faces missing at most tables — the African female infrapreneur,” she said.
“I want to be the bridge — from potential to project, from vision to financial close.”AFARA argues the case is both equitable and economic: projects with women in control deliver 2–3x greater development impact, and every successful female infrapreneur creates jobs, lights communities, and opens doors for the next generation.
The launch event convened founders, investors, and policymakers around the future of financing, innovation, and infrastructure in Africa, with a clear message: scaling women-led ventures is key to closing Africa’s infrastructure gap.
