How Ayodele Ognin 2019 TEF Alumni Is Empowering Women Entrepreneurs in Benin Through Fintech and Digital Inclusion

The Untapped Potential of Women Entrepreneurs in Africa

Across Africa, women play a critical role in economic development.

They run farms, manage small businesses, support local markets and create jobs within their communities. Yet despite their contributions, many female entrepreneurs still face barriers that limit their growth. Access to finance remains a challenge. Digital adoption can be difficult. Business training and professional networks are often out of reach for women operating in low-income communities.

The result is a significant gap between potential and opportunity.

For Ayodele Ognin, closing that gap became both a professional mission and a personal calling.

Having witnessed the challenges entrepreneurs face from an early age, she understood firsthand how a lack of financial support can limit even the most determined business owners.

Today, through Wurami, the Beninese entrepreneur is helping women-led businesses embrace digital tools, strengthen their financial knowledge and build sustainable enterprises capable of creating long-term impact.

How Ayodele Ognin’s Mother Inspired Her Entrepreneurial Journey

Some entrepreneurs are inspired by opportunity.

Others are inspired by necessity.

For Ayodele, entrepreneurship began with a deeply personal lesson.

Growing up, she watched her mother navigate the challenges of running a business with limited access to financial resources and support. Despite her determination and resilience, accessing the capital needed to grow and sustain a business was often difficult.

Those experiences left a lasting impression.

Even as a young girl, Ayodele began exploring entrepreneurial opportunities alongside her brother, launching small ventures and discovering the value of initiative, resourcefulness and perseverance.

Those early experiences planted the seeds for what would later become a much larger vision.

She did not simply want to build a business.

She wanted to build solutions that would help other women overcome the same barriers she had seen her mother face.

Why Ayodele Ognin Founded Wurami

In 2019, Ayodele transformed that vision into reality with the launch of Wurami, a fintech social enterprise focused on empowering women entrepreneurs in low-income communities.

Based in Benin, Wurami supports women-led businesses operating across sectors such as agribusiness, renewable energy and tourism.

The company’s approach goes beyond traditional business support.

Recognising that today’s economy is increasingly digital, Wurami focuses on helping female entrepreneurs navigate digital transformation through financial literacy, business management training and digital skills development.

For many women business owners, these capabilities are becoming essential.

From managing finances and reaching customers online to improving business operations and accessing new markets, digital literacy is increasingly linked to business success.

By equipping women with these skills, Wurami helps ensure they are not left behind as economies become more technology driven.

Building a Community Through the Women Impact Network

One of Ayodele’s most significant contributions has been the creation of the Women Impact Network (WIN).

While training programmes can help entrepreneurs develop skills, sustainable growth often depends on something equally important: community.

Entrepreneurship can be isolating, particularly for women navigating cultural, economic and structural barriers.

The Women Impact Network was established to address this challenge by creating a platform where women entrepreneurs can learn, collaborate and support one another.

Through WIN, women-led micro, small and medium enterprises gain access to learning opportunities, professional development resources and networks that help strengthen both their businesses and personal leadership capacity.

The initiative promotes female empowerment while encouraging greater participation of women across all levels of business and economic activity.

For Ayodele, empowering women is not simply a social goal.

It is an economic imperative.

When women succeed, families become more resilient, communities prosper and economies grow stronger.

How the Tony Elumelu Foundation Helped Accelerate Her Vision

Like many entrepreneurs across Africa, Ayodele recognised that turning a vision into a scalable business would require additional support.

She discovered the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme online and immediately recognised the opportunity it presented.

The possibility of securing seed capital was attractive, but what stood out most was the programme’s focus on entrepreneurship training, mentorship and access to a Pan-African network of business leaders.

After joining the programme as a 2019 TEF Entrepreneur, Ayodele gained valuable business knowledge and access to one of Africa’s largest entrepreneurial communities.

The experience proved transformative.

Beyond the financial support, the programme provided access to a network of fellow entrepreneurs facing similar challenges and opportunities across the continent.

For Ayodele, this sense of community became particularly important.

As a woman entrepreneur, she had previously encountered significant obstacles while seeking business support, including inappropriate propositions and barriers that made access to markets and visibility more difficult.

The TEF alumni network offered a supportive ecosystem where entrepreneurs could learn, collaborate and grow together.

The training she received also laid the foundation for one of her most ambitious initiatives.

Launching WIN Academy to Train 10,000 Women and Youth

Inspired by the lessons learned through the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, Ayodele launched the WIN Academy in 2021.

The academy was created with a bold objective:

To train 10,000 women and young people in digital skills by 2030.

The initiative reflects Ayodele’s belief that digital literacy is one of the most powerful tools for economic empowerment in the modern economy.

Through structured training programmes, participants gain practical skills that help them navigate business challenges, improve employability and build sustainable enterprises.

By focusing on women and youth, WIN Academy is helping prepare a new generation of entrepreneurs and professionals for success in Africa’s digital future.

Ayodele Ognin is Creating Impact Across Benin and Beyond

The impact of Ayodele’s work extends well beyond a single organisation.

In 2020, Wurami was ranked among the 50 best African companies owned by female entrepreneurs through the African Development Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa initiative.

The company has also partnered with the Government of Benin to train 1,000 business owners in financial literacy and digital marketing, helping entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses and improve their competitiveness.

Meanwhile, WIN Academy expanded its reach through the launch of DigiBoost, a digital marketing programme designed for entrepreneurs seeking to strengthen their online visibility and business performance.

The programme attracted international recognition and was selected for funding by the European Union, supporting its continued expansion and the establishment of an office in France.

These milestones demonstrate how locally developed solutions can create impact far beyond their original communities.

Why Ayodele Ognin’s Work Matters

Africa’s future will be shaped by entrepreneurs who create opportunities for others.

Ayodele’s work addresses several of the continent’s most important development priorities, including financial inclusion, gender equality, digital skills development and entrepreneurship.

Her approach demonstrates that empowering women requires more than access to capital alone.

It requires knowledge.

It requires networks.

It requires confidence.

And it requires ecosystems that enable women to thrive.

By helping female entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses and embrace digital transformation, Wurami is contributing to a more inclusive and prosperous future for Benin and beyond.

What’s Next for Ayodele Ognin?

Ayodele remains focused on expanding the reach and impact of both Wurami and the Women Impact Network.

As digital technologies continue transforming economies, she sees enormous opportunities to help more women entrepreneurs access the tools, skills and support required to compete in modern markets.

Her vision extends beyond individual businesses.

She is building an ecosystem where women can connect, learn, lead and create sustainable prosperity for future generations.

Building a Future Where More Women Can Succeed

The story of Ayodele Ognin is a story of turning personal experience into collective impact.

Inspired by her mother’s resilience, she has dedicated her entrepreneurial journey to helping women overcome barriers and unlock their potential.

Through Wurami, the Women Impact Network and WIN Academy, she is equipping thousands of women and young people with the skills, knowledge and confidence needed to succeed in an increasingly digital world.

Her journey reflects the vision at the heart of African entrepreneurship:

When one woman is empowered, the impact extends far beyond her business.

It transforms families, communities and entire economies.